Before You Hit the Ground
by Ducky-san
Summary: Gang member Natsume Hyuuga never lost. Runaway Mikan Sakura never loved. Until she gave him something to fear losing, and he gave her something to fear loving.
1. When Leaving is Easier

I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>There's really only so much you can do until you really can't take it anymore. I put up with it for eighteen years. Well, it'd only been awful for ten years, but all eighteen had been bad. I'd finally had enough.<p>

Your parents are supposed to raise you. Your parents are supposed to care for you and nurture you and stay up with you when you're sick, or wait up when you're out on your first date so you can tell them all about it when you get home. They're supposed to make supper and take you out on your birthday. They're supposed to hold you after your first heartbreak and give you the sex talk when you have your first real relationship. They're supposed to-

Okay, so the bottom line is, there are a lot of things parents are supposed to do for you.

My mom was in college when she had me. I was a big 'oopsie'. She got kicked out of her school and had to find an apartment on her own since my dad split the moment he found out she was pregnant (note: 'dad' is a term I use very loosely; I prefer to refer to him as 'the man who contributed half of his genetic material to me without my consent'.). Anyway, she moved in on her own and had to work her ass off to support me, which is an admirable factor until we reach the year I turned ten.

She'd been dating this guy for awhile. He'd been helpful. I'd actually kind of liked him. He made my mother less uptight and therefore easier to be around. But he died in a car accident, and everything kind of went downhill from there.

The first time she hit me, I was ten and a half. I'd just gotten home from school to find her half asleep on the couch in front of the TV with three empty beer bottles on the table and a mostly-empty bottle in her hand. She told me to clean up her mess, but I'd never seen her drink so openly before, so I just stood there, dumbfounded. Then she got up, stormed over to me, and slapped me.

It got worse. She worked less and drank more. The smallest things – from forgetting to put my dishes away to staying up until midnight reading – would set her off. She learned to avoid my face, though, when one of my teachers in sixth grade called home about my black eye.

And I became an expert at disguising the bruises and cuts and scratches.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't _all _bad. Sometimes when she was sober she'd see me and she'd start crying, and she'd hold me until her tears had soaked through my shirt and mumble about how much she loved me. She did it when she was drunk, too, and she was a little more of a basket case then. But I never believed her. Part of me always knew she hated me.

Because I'd ruined her life from the very beginning.

My _mom _isn't much of a mother. I don't even call her mom. To me, that word is just something that I'm obligated to call her around other people because she gave birth to me. But to me, she's Yuka. And that's only when she's sober enough that I can stand talking to her.

I got a job when I was fourteen, not because I wanted one or needed the money, but because I couldn't stand being at home. And I think a part of me always knew that one day I'd need the money to get out of this place. I just needed the opportune moment.

That moment came the day that I graduated.

I didn't attend the graduation ceremony. I told my principals that I was leaving for college too early. Of course, with me being an honours student with no evidence of a troubled life, they believed me.

I never had friends. Over the years, I knew it was dangerous to let people into my life. Despite my fun-loving personality that mostly drew people in, I kept everyone at an arms-length. I was kind of a walking contradiction.

Now, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone wondering where I had gone.

I'd given my two weeks notice at the coffee shop I'd worked at up until now. They'd been sad to see me go, since half of the customers that went there went there to have me wait on them, but they couldn't stop me. I'd bought my bus ticket in advanced, and I was getting away from here.

A one way ticket to anywhere. Anywhere but here.

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><p>AN: Hello, dear readers! This is the prologue to the newest story I've decided to write! I hope to be more diligent with uploading this one, but no promises. :) I'm a bit ahead on the writing already, but I'm going to pace myself with the posting otherwise you'll end up waiting longer than necessary for the next chapters!

The whole reason I've decided to start this is because I had the fortunate luck (note my sarcasm) of having my wisdom teeth removed this past week and really all I've been doing is sleeping and writing because there's no point in putting effort into my school work when I'm loopy from the tylenol 3s. I figured writing was a safe route to take!

This first chapter is very vague, but whenever I get around to posting the next chapter, things will clear up a bit!

Pleace review!


	2. Establishing Familiarity

I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><strong><em>The secret of happiness if freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.<em>**

_-Thucydides (Ancient Greek historians and author, 460-404bc)_

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><p>Few things I knew, but of one thing I was certain; I had to be dead silent or one of them would hear me and know something was up and this escapade was as good as over before it even began.<p>

It was past midnight. Outside, the summer sky was dark with the blanket of night, lit only by the streetlights – most of which were broken with no promise of ever being fixed on this street – and the stars that dotted the sky. It was a perfect night for my graduating class to enjoy while they partied through the night and to the morning, but I couldn't bring myself to want to be doing anything than what I was doing right now.

Which was _leaving. _Finally.

I shoved clothes that I could rotate into over the course of four days into my backpack; one pair of shorts, one pair of capris, and two pairs of jeans, plus a set of black pants and white shirt for the job I knew I'd get. Next went the four t-shirts and my bathing suit – which may be necessary for bathing. Plus I was wearing my favourite pair of skinny jeans with sweatpants over top, and a tank top, a t-shirt, and an oversized hoodie.

Teachers had always told their students to layer up on field trip days or track and field; back then I'd never though that piece of advice would stay with me for the day that I ran away.

I packed a blanket and some toiletries, including a toothbrush. I'd never run away before, so I didn't know how this was going to work. I probably wasn't ever going to get a chance to use the toiletries, unless I made it into my own apartment right off the bat, but somehow I doubted that.

I wore my tennis shoes on my feet and stuffed an extra pair of sandals into the front pocket of my backpack, just in case, before looking around my room once to make sure I had everything that I thought I might need.

My wallet was sitting on my desk, right next to my cherished bus ticket. I picked up both and held the ticket up in the dim light coming in from the open window, smiling to myself when I realized that this was it – my ticket to freedom.

Down the hallway, one room over, the sounds of a busy evening between Yuka and her current muse had fallen silent. I didn't like her new guy. He was downright creepy and I didn't like the way he looked at me like he was mentally undressing me. I was pretty sure he was addicted to drugs, and maybe part of a gang, but I could be wrong.

Part of me wish they'd kept at it. That way, I wouldn't have to try so hard to keep quiet.

I tucked the bus ticket inside my wallet and placed it in the big pocket of my backpack, deep down so there was no chance of it falling out if the zipper happened to come undone. Very slowly, so quietly as not to disturb a mouse in this shithole I called a house, I zipped the bag up and stood.

The floor creaked. I cringed, freezing in place.

I was known for sleepwalking. Yuka had hit me for that, too. Hopefully that meant she'd be too tangled up with the man sharing her bed to bother coming to make sure I was in my bed where she figured I belonged.

The quiet murmurs continued through the paper-thin walls.

I gently tossed the bag over my shoulder, bending under its weight and scowling a little. I'd been trying to pack light.

I crept across the room noiselessly, touching my hand to the doorknob and turning it quietly before pulling the door open. I half expected it to squeak, like it does in the movies, but this most definitely wasn't a movie and the door didn't squeak.

I stepped into the hallway. To get to the stairs, I had to walk passed Yuka's room. If I was lucky, in the next ten seconds, they'd go for round two and I could slip away without being heard.

I waited, but they just continued murmuring to each other, so I took the first hesitant step forward, towards my new life.

_Freedom, Mikan, _I coaxed myself _If you can get out of this house, you can turn your whole life around._

Another step forward got me to the closet between mine and Yuka's room. The murmuring stopped.

_Shit._

I strained to hear the words that came next.

"I need a glass of water," Yuka's muse, whose name I was pretty sure was Hibiki, said quietly in a deep monotone that sent shivers up my spine and had me itching to run for a whole other reason other than that he was about to open that door and see me. "You're wearing me out."

I gritted my teeth, trying to decide whether to run back to my room or go for the stairs. In my hesitation, one foot slipped forward, thumping louder that I'd anticipated and resulting in Yuka's bedroom door swinging open.

Hibiki stood there, covered only by a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, staring at me first in shock before that stare morphed into that look that scared me.

"Mikan!" Yuka screeched, in this tone that implied her disgust with me without actually ever having to say it. She grabbed the sheet off the bed and bunched it around her before charging for the door. "Stop her!"

Hibiki, I swore, could not have been more pleased to comply. He slammed me against the wall, pinning me there with his forearm pressed against my throat, hard enough to keep me there but not hard enough to cut off my air supply. His other hand captured both my wrists, and he pressed his knees to my thighs.

I was so repulsed by the proximity of his nakedness and terrified of what would happen to me if I didn't make it out of here that I moved my body in any way that I could, throwing my weight – although it wasn't significant – in any direction I could that would allow me some movement.

Then I screamed. I knew it wouldn't do much good because in this neighbourhood, you heard a lot of screaming, and not everyone was like me and went to check it out to make sure everyone was okay. In fact, I was the only one that had that sort of consideration.

Hibiki abandoned my throat to clap his hand over my mouth. Just thinking of where his hands had been made me thrash my head back and forth until his hand came loose, and from the movement his knees slipped off of my thighs and I had the mobility to kick him in the crotch.

By then, Yuka had shrugged into a housecoat and was coming at me, claws out. "You _brat_!" she shrieked. "_Don't you dare leave this house!"_

I was already darting down the stairs, stumbling on the last one and catching myself on the railing, coughing and gasping and fighting tears as I lunged for the door. My trembling hands struggled with the lock, but this was it. Once I got past this door, I was home free.

Yuka and Hibiki thundered down the stairs, both of them reaching for my backpack. I threw the door open just as their fingers got too close, and I threw myself out the door with an urgency I'd never had before.

The night was warm. It wasn't often cold at night in the summer, but in the winter it had the tendency to get chilly. I hoped to be in an apartment by then. Now, the air was sticky with moisture that made it hard to breathe and even harder to run. But I just kept thinking about that bus ticket.

Neither of them would follow me. I wasn't worth the effort. They wouldn't call the police either. That would get them in trouble when I told the police what I dealt with at home.

All they could do was shout after me that I was going to regret this, but I was pretty damn sure I wouldn't.

My bus didn't leave until 6 a.m. Then, it was a four hour drive to a city that I could start over in. Where I wouldn't know anyone and no one would know me. I wouldn't have to explain myself to anyone.

I couldn't help the smile that tugged on my lips as I walked to the bus station. By the time I got there, it was past one o'clock and I was not the only one there. People were sleeping on the benches, either because they were homeless of because they were there for the same reason I was. In the protection of the building, with a security officer standing nearby and a tired and grumpy looking woman behind the desk sealed off by glass, I sat down on the floor, flopped over, and fell into an easy sleep.

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><p>There are a lot of things you have to do in order to run away. The single most important thing, though, is to believe that you can handle whatever is thrown your way, that you can survive nature and man and everything in between without anyone's help. Given my background, I firmly believed that I could.<p>

The bus wasn't very populated, giving me the chance to have a better, more comfortable sleep. I waited, though, to close my eyes. Waited until we were leaving the dumpy city I'd spent every single day of my eighteen years of life in. Waited, so that I could watch it get smaller and smaller behind us until it disappeared.

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><p>Nobody disturbed me on the bus ride. I slept for three out of the four hours, and then grinned like an idiot out the window for the other hour. Excitement was making my heart hammer in my chest, sending electricity through my veins and having me itching to move, to get on with it. When the bus pulled to a stop, I leapt out of my seat, lugging my heavy backpack on my back and making a beeline for the doors before anyone else had processed that the bus had even stopped.<p>

I thanked the bus driver, who acknowledged me with a gruff grunt and nothing more. Beaming, I bounded off the bus and into the warm morning air.

It smelled of exhaust mixed with trees mixed with pavement. It was drier and I didn't feel sticky the moment I inhaled, and it was the most glorious feeling in the world. Biting my lip was all I could do to keep myself from leaping in the air and doing a dance out of pure joy.

Here, I could be happy, cheerful, kind Mikan without the threat of anybody questioning me or having any clue as to why I acted the way I did. I could have friends, and tell them a story that was completely different from my own. I wasn't big on lying, but when it came down to it in this situation, I didn't mind much. The less people knew about my past, the better.

I looked around the bus station, completely foreign from the one back where I'd come from. This place was _huge. _And inviting. And promising. The office buildings that towered around me were enthralling and I wished I could run up to one and give it a hug. This was more glorious than anything I'd ever been allowed to see with Yuka.

I sighed in contentment. "First things first," I muttered to myself. "I'm going to need a map and a newspaper."

I'd made a list of things I needed to do while I was here. The first was to find a job. In a city this big, the chances were good, weren't they? I had a pile of resumes in my backpack, but if I applied at a restaurant I wasn't sure I'd need them. Second on my list was to find a place to stay, no matter how dumpy. I had to start somewhere, right? I should be able to afford something, I was sure.

That was the extent of my list. Anything that came after those was going to be spontaneous and unplanned.

I walked along the busy streets with a grin on my face and a bounce in my step. I said hello to everyone I passed, even when I got strange looks, and took care in crossing the streets. Where I'd come from, there hadn't been any streets that you had to walk to the middle on the first 'WALK' sign and then wait for the second round to walk the rest of the way across. It was all part of the experience for me.

By the time I came across a gas station, I was damp with sweat, but my smile hadn't faltered, nor had my energy. I threw open the door with more force than necessary and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Hello!"

Maybe I hadn't been expecting it to double as a coffee shop, which therefore meant I hadn't entirely been expecting it to be busy, and hadn't expected twenty pairs of eyes to turn in my direction. Not just any eyes, either. These eyes were attached to big burly faces with oversized beards, which were attached to either really scrawny bodies or supremely overweight bodies.

I frowned and looked back outside at the sign. _Yome's Truck Stop and Coffee Shop. _Shrugging, I turned back to the chuckling faces of the frightening men and shot them all another smile before heading over to the stand that had all the maps.

"Whaddya lookin' for?"

The voice was chipper and distinctly male, and before instinct could even make me step away at the proximity of this stranger, I turned to smile at him and found him to look no older than me – six feet, blonde hair spiked in every direction – and smiling back at me ten times bigger.

"A map," I said. "Of the city?"

"Ah! New in town." He reached for the upper left hand corner of the stand, behind one of the other maps, and pulled out a foldable of the city. "Everything you're going to need to know is right in there."

"Thanks!" I flipped it open, not bothering to keep the stars out of my eyes when I saw the expanse of main streets and side streets and important buildings, the _opportunities. _

"Whatcha here for?" the boy asked.

I inhaled sharply. This was where my new life began. Everything I said at this moment had to be remembered and recorded, so I could at least stick to the same story every time I told the lie that was to become every part of my truth. I suppose I should have given it more thought on the bus, or before I left, because now that I was faced with the task, my mind was reeling to come up with something.

"My aunt," were the first words that rushed out of my mouth. "She lives here in the city, and this is where I want to go to school, so I came to live here and work for a year before applying to university and college."

"Oh yeah? Fresh out of high school? Me too. What school are you aiming for?"

I swallowed thickly, then turned to face him. "What was your name?"

He raised his finger at me like he was making a point. "That's the first rule to the big city life, young pupil. Never tell anyone your life story without first finding out their name."

I bit my lip and cocked my head to the side. "How come? It's not like a name's going to be much of a difference."

"It establishes familiarity. You want that. I'm Koko Yome. My dad owns the joint." He motioned to the sign outside the door. "And you, mademoiselle?"

"Mikan," I said. "It's very nice to meet you. And for the record, I wasn't about to tell you my entire life story." Which was a lie, considering the only reason I asked his name in the first place was to avoid having to answer his question when I didn't even have an answer.

He shrugged, then glanced over his shoulder at the truckers all throughout the coffee shop. "Looks like you've spiced up their trucking lives a bit. Come on. I'll ring you through."

As he led me over to the cash desk, I grabbed a newspaper off the stand and put it on top of the map on the desk, and then took my backpack off my shoulders to fish for my wallet.

I stood up abruptly, effectively knocking two chocolate bars off of the stand beneath the desk in the process. It wasn't until I went to pick them up did I notice that my stomach was grumbling greedily and rather loudly. Loud enough that Koko heard and started to laugh. "Why don't you stick around and I'll get you something for breakfast?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Thanks."

He started to bag my items, but I told him not to waste it on me and save it for someone else to harm the environment. Chuckling to himself, he took me to a table and handed me a menu, and I had the newspaper sprawled out in front of me before he'd even left the table.

The job section was packed with opportunities. I asked Koko for a pen, but he made me order first, claiming I'd be thinking clearer once I had some food in my stomach. I ordered a muffin and a coffee and a bowl of fruit – the cheapest thing on the menu – and then went back to sorting through the endless jobs on the paper in front of me.

I must have been there for over an hour, tunnel vision directed completely at the newspaper. I heard people come in and receive a greeting from Koko, but otherwise I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings. I didn't even notice how busy it was getting.

One time the bells on the door notified the patrons of an exit or an entry, Koko exclaimed, "Imai! What brings you here on this fine Saturday morning? Or afternoon. Is it afternoon yet? What time is it? Who's got the time?"

"It's twelve o'clock on the dot," a woman's monotone replied. She had a voice like ice, that actually sent chills down my spine and made me look up. "Business looks good. You have people waiting for a seat."

"Hotaru, all of the tables are full."

"This is rush hour at Yome's. You might want to think about kicking someone out if they've been here for too long and aren't eating." Somehow, I just _knew _she was looking at me.

I turned my head. She was young, probably not a lot older than I was. She had short black hair and the most interesting eyes I'd ever seen, blue that looked almost violet. Her skin was the color of porcelain, and looked as delicate. But it was her expression, a cold, unfriendly stare in my direction that made me want to shiver.

Koko followed her gaze. "Give her a break, Imai. She's new in town."

I looked down at my newspaper, at all the jobs circles and all the jobs crossed out. I could do the rest elsewhere. Picking up the rest of my muffin, I reached for my wallet.

"On the house!" Koko called to me.

I grinned at him. "Thanks." Gathering my belongings, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and headed for the door, where the woman, Imai, and Koko were standing with a few people waiting to be seated behind them.

"Stop by again sometime, hey?" Koko said to me with that wide friendly grin that made it hard not to smile back. "But not on a Saturday. Imai's always in on Saturdays. She likes to pretend it's for business but I know it's because she loves our coffee. Try not to come in around noon, either. That's when Natsume comes in. He'll just scare you."

"Thanks again, Koko." I held up the map and newspaper. "I have a good start." I turned to the woman, Hotaru Imai. "I'm sorry for staying at the table so long. Koko was very-"

"You're holding up the line," she cut in blatantly.

Koko looked horrified, but I just smiled hugely, appreciating her ability to say what had to be said when I wasn't like that at all. I gave Koko a reassuring look, and then headed for the door.

"Don't forget, young pupil!" he called after me. "Establish familiarity!"

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><p>AN: Hello again! So soon, too! These first few chapters are going to be a bit shorter, but so far I think of what I've already written of future chapters, they do get a bit longer! It appears I drew a lot of readers in with my summary, and I hope the story remains as intriguing! I'm very excited to write this! Not going to lie, a chunk of my inspiration came from watching the first three Fast and Furious movies while I was recovering from my wisdom teeth, and I'm just so excited! You'll be hearing from me soon!

Lots of love!


	3. Black Cats and Dark Alleys

I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>The day dragged on. I went on a hunt for every job I'd circled, using the map as a guideline, which proved me no good when I got lost more than I was on track. I dropped off resumes and filled out applications at restaurants, clothing stores, fast food joints, anything that would give me a second glance. The phone number I put down was my cell phone number, the cell phone that Yuka hadn't known I'd had and therefore wouldn't know to reach me on, but the battery wouldn't last forever and eventually I was going to need a place to charge it.<p>

This led me to looking for apartments. I went to the local library and purchased an hour or internet, where I searched for apartments in the area at a reasonable price. The more I looked, however, the more I began to wonder if this city knew what _reasonable price _meant.

After my hour ran out, I hadn't found anything that was within my price range at the moment and I was beginning to think this whole thing was a bad idea.

I looked outside, at the shining sun and the blue sky that was becoming darker as the day wore on and it got later and later. It was almost six o'clock; my grumbling stomach could attest to that.

"All right, Mikan," I said to myself. "First you're going to need some food."

The darker the day got with no ringing from my cell phone, the more I started to wish I hadn't done this. All it took, though, was to remember the feel of Hibiki's hands over my mouth, or Yuka's claws on my skin, to know that this was the best thing I could have ever done.

I wouldn't have survived much longer there. Here, I could.

The first grocery store I came across was rundown and small with a name I didn't recognize. It was in a dumpy neighbourhood that was full of barking dogs and spray-painted fences. I barely noticed the attention I got from the young men I passed who were lounging against the wall outside the store.

The woman at the desk was frumpy but looked pleased to see me. I liked to think that it was because of my bright smile and friendly, "Hello, how are you?" but I was pretty sure she was just glad to see she wouldn't have to deal with another gangster harassing her.

From the store, I bought two boxes of granola bars. They would have to last me awhile. At least until I got a job. Once I had a job, I'd have some breathing room.

"I haven't seen you around before," the clerk, whose nametag read Miyu, said to me as she rang my boxes through. "Don't see a lot like your folk coming through here."

I stared at her blankly. "My folk…?"

She motioned to my attire, which consisted of skinny jeans, tennis shoes, and a silky lime green and bright pink tank top from my favourite store. I'd ditched the sweater long ago in the escalating heat. "Well dressed, sophisticated. Not a lot of people come here to make conversation with the clerk."

I crinkled my nose, wondering how this woman handled working here. "I'm not from around here. Just passing through. I'm looking for a job. I don't suppose you're hiring?"

She snorted, bagging my items and taking my cash. "Honey, if I hired a girl like you, the cops would be here every other day charging young boys for harassment. Naivety isn't a quality you'd like to have in this neighbourhood."

I nodded in understanding, although I really didn't understand at all. It's not like I was some supermodel. I was just thin, cheerful Mikan, with long brown hair that cascaded down my shoulders like a waterfall and plain brown eyes that hadn't seen a whole lot.

Maybe that was why. Because I hadn't seen a whole lot. Maybe I had something to learn.

"You be careful out there," Miyu said in that tone that would have been more complete if she'd been wagging her finger in my face. "Some guys can read a girl like a book; if they know you haven't got a glue where you're going or what you're doing, they'll take advantage of you."

I packed my purchase into my already-too-tight bag and struggled with the zipper before standing up with a victorious, confident smile on my face. "I can totally take care of myself. Don't you worry about me!" I lugged the bag over my shoulder, intending to stand firmly to prove my point, but the weight of it on my back knocked me off balance and I wobbled. Miyu was shaking her head as I called a goodbye over my shoulder and walked out of the store.

The boys that I'd passed on the way in were still there when I walked back the way I'd come, the map held up in my face as I tried to make sense of the directions and street names and everything else.

"Hey, kitten," one of them called lowly. "Whatcha looking for?"

"Oh, nothing," I replied distractedly as I neared them. "I can find it."

"Come on." Whoever spoke cooed, like they were talking to a cat. "We can help."

I frowned over the map at them. "No, I'm really okay. But thanks anyway!"

I heard the door of the store open, but I didn't look over my shoulder. It sounded like Miyu cleared her throat, before the boys pushed themselves off the wall, muttering amongst themselves, and headed in the other direction.

It didn't take long for it to cool down enough that I had to stop and dig for one of my sweaters. By then, my legs were so sore from the constant walking and I was so lost that I nearly collapsed on the first bench I came to. It was a bus stop, but the busy street was clear of busses, so I pulled one of the boxes of granola bars out of my bag and opened it up, allowing myself one bar.

I fished through my backpack until I found my cell phone, wincing when I saw that I had no missed calls from any potential employers and that my battery was slowly running out of juice.

Pulling out my map again, I surveyed it for any indications of buildings that would have plug-ins where I could charge the thing until I found a place to stay. I wasn't entirely happy to think about it, but it looked like tonight would be spent on a bench somewhere, however unsafe that was.

I'd try the library again tomorrow. I hadn't been looking for plug-ins earlier because I hadn't been expecting to not be able to find anything.

It was dark by the time I lugged my tired, sorry carcass off that bench. For a brief second, I wished I could go home and curl up in my bed and deal with Yuka and Hibiki in the morning. As soon as that thought had planted itself in my mind, however, I forced myself to think of how much better off I'd be just as soon as I found myself a job and a place to live.

I tucked my hands into the pockets of my sweater and dug my chin into the collar. The sky was still clear, but the wind had picked up a bit. It wasn't too cold, but enough to make me wish I was inside.

I turned onto a side street, away from the traffic and headed in no particular direction. I didn't know where I saw anyway; it's not like I could get myself anywhere. Part of me wanted to go back to the truck stop, where I could start from the beginning tomorrow, but I knew that it wasn't the beginning and I didn't really want to start over. I wanted to press onwards.

A quiet mewing from my left made me jump ten feet in the air and skitter sideways, snapping me out of my thoughts. The black cat, sitting in the mouth of a dark alley, looked up at me with shiny black eyes, its tail flicking across the ground.

I clapped my hand over my chest, exhaling and inhaling slowly until my heart stopped pounding so hard against my ribs that I was sure the cat could hear it. "You scared me, kitty," I whispered, crouching down. "Come here." I clucked my tongue. The cat mewed again, flashing pearly white teeth, and then darted across the street. I shot to me feet. "Hey!"

Looking both ways like my preschool teacher had taught me – Yuka wouldn't have ever thought to teach me something as important as that – and then crossed the street after the cat. The further down the street I followed it, the darker it seemed to get, and the sketchier. In this area, surrounded by buildings that were dark, streetlights were flickering and I only passed the occasional straggling person who said nothing to me when I politely said hello.

I didn't stop until the cat disappeared into an alley and I heard shouting from just out of my sight.

"Persona wants his cash," someone said, so lowly that I felt a tremor escape up my spine. "If you don't present the rest of it by tomorrow at noon, then he's going to send me after you. I'm sure you can imagine what I'd do to you."

I felt my mouth drop open at the threat. Furthermore, the moment I heard a young man's yelp of pain and surprise, my feet acted on impulse and moved me to the mouth of the alley.

It must have been some secret club's back door at the end of the alley, because I could hear music pumping from beyond it and there were bright lights seeping from underneath the door. The alley was lit by lights on the wall, so I could clearly see the three men. Two of them were standing over the third. The cat was nowhere in sight.

"Hey!" I called down the alley before I could stop myself.

Three pairs of eyes swung to me.

I started towards them, my steps brisk and my scowl prominent. "What do you think you're doing? Get away from him!" I tried to shoo them, but neither of them budged, so I knelt down beside the third man and helped him sit up, muttering, "Damn barbarians. Think it's cool to beat people up. _So _not cool."

The man I was helping up looked less like a man and more like a boy up close. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked up at me with fearful admiration. "What are you doing?" Okay, scratch that. He looked horrified.

Before I could ask why, two hands grabbed me and threw me against the wall. The scenario was so much like what had happened with Hibiki – except for this time I had a massive backpack between me and the wall – and yet this time I was overwhelmed with a sense of calm. I didn't thrash or struggle or kick or scream. I stared evenly back.

It may have had something to do with his looks. The man that held me couldn't have been much older than I was. His hair was the color of the night and his hands were strong on my shoulders. Because of his T-shirt, I could see the toned bands of muscle running up his arms and could only imagine the shoulders they led to. His jaw was angular and his nose straight, his cheek bones prominent. In other words, he looked like an angel. But it was his strangely red eyes that held me still. Because eyes were supposed to be the window to the soul, but his were so carefully guarded that I couldn't see past the bleakness. All I could tell was that something in them made me scared. Not for me. But for him.

"What are you doing here?" he said darkly.

I swallowed. "Following a black cat."

He snorted derisively. "You know those are bad luck, don't you?"

"I'm not superstitious. Look, just let me help the poor guy up and I'll leave, okay? Simple enough? You can let me go. It's not like I'm dangerous. I probably weigh half as much as you do. And I'm tired so it's not like I'd put up much of a fight. Not that you should take advantage of me, because that would not be appreciated."

Annoyance flickered across his face. "Shut up."

"Then let me go so I'll stop rambling. It's a condition, I think. I just talk when I'm pinned against walls. Actually, that's not true. I'm not from around here. I just graduated high school. I'm living with my aunt and I'm trying to find a job. This was not exactly how I expected to end my day. Oh, and my name's Mikan!"

"What are you doing?" he growled.

"Establishing familiarity."

His hands left my shoulders so abruptly, I nearly stumbled into him. He pointed to the mouth of the alley. "Leave."

I rubbed my shoulder, sore from where his palms had pressed so tightly. "Would you relax? I'm just going to-"

The man just behind him, who must had been accompanying him, reached into his coat and whipped out something I least expected.

My hands shot up. "Whoa. Okay. I thought this only happened in movies. Would you put that away? I told you, I'm not dangerous. I'm just going to make sure this guy is okay, and then I'm going to leave."

The man that pointed the gun at me didn't lower it until the red-eyed boy shot him a glare.

I dropped very slowly to my knees again, grabbing the boy at my feet by the arms and pulling him to his feet. My eyes never left the red eyes staring back at me.

"You don't belong here," he said to me.

"Why not?"

He looked partly incredulous, like he could not for the life of him think of a reason why I would say that. But it was a perfectly valid question. Other than the fight and the gun, this place wasn't _that _bad. Just a little bit sketchy.

"Just leave."

"Yes, sir." I gave him one last glance, glared at the man that had held a gun at me, and then dragged the boy in my arms out of the alley and a long way down the street before stopping and turning to him.

"You all right?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose again. He was wearing a button-up shirt and a tie, and he looked like he belonged in an office rather than on the street getting beat up for owing cash to someone for something…maybe for fixing his car or something.

"Y-yes, thank you," he said. "That was really brave of you."

I snorted. "Brave? What was he going to do? Shoot me? People get thrown in jail for that."

He stared at me for a solid three seconds, and then cleared his throat. "W-well, yes, but Reo is not a friendly guy. If you pull his strings, he can get pretty dangerous."

I studied him, and then nodded in understanding. "You were pulling his strings, weren't you?"

He cleared his throat again. It must have been a nervous gesture. "Yes, I suppose I was. But it's not what you think. I'm not into all of that crap. Persona got me out of some things and now I owe him."

"Who's Persona?"

He opened his mouth to reply, and then thought better of it and offered me his hand. "I'm Yuu Tobita."

I grabbed his hand and gave it a solid shake; his palms were sweaty. "Mikan."

"Thanks for, you know…"

Catching onto his embarrassment, I laughed. "No problem. Stay out of trouble, hey? That red-eyed boy did not seem nice _at all_." Turning on my heel, I waved over my shoulder. "See you later!"

* * *

><p>That night, I found myself under a tree away from the road and away from anyone who could potentially stumble across me. Exhausted and maybe a little bit disheartened, I made a bed for myself on the fallen needles under a pine tree, purposely refusing to think about the bugs. Pulling my blanket out of my bed, I curled myself into the smallest possible ball beneath it and laid my head down.<p>

My stomach grumbled as I drifted off, but tonight I wouldn't have to worry about Yuka coming into my room in a fit of rage, to pull me out of my bed and beat me until she broke down into tears and hugged me and asked for forgiveness. I didn't have to worry about hearing my door creak open, and feel that pair of eyes watching me as I slept…

* * *

><p>It was the worst sleep of my life. I woke up at every sound and shifted so much that I woke up with a kink in every inch of my body. My stomach continued to grumble and I was suddenly all to aware of how dry my mouth was. I tried to lick my lips, to no avail. Sitting up, I batted branches away from my face and crawled out from under the tree, dragging my blanket and bag with me.<p>

The sun was shining, but the ground was damp with dew. I'd frozen pretty much the whole night, and still shivered even now. Groaning, I fished through my bag for a compact mirror and held it up in front of me, studying the damage.

My hair was piled on the side of my head, tangled with pine needles and branches and anything else you might find under a tree. I tried to comb most of it out with my fingers, and then sat on the ground using my fragile little comb that I'd gotten for free on picture day at school one year through the rats nest until it ran semi-smooth again.

My clothes were hopelessly dirty. I thought about just shedding my sweater and dusting off my jeans, but ended up changing my shirt all together and beating the debris off of my sweater. When I was satisfied with my appearance, I allowed myself half of a granola bar and checked my phone.

No missed calls.

My heart dropped in unavoidable disappointment for a split second before I straightened my back and inhaled the fresh morning air.

"Let's try again," I said aloud to no one but myself. "This city is huge. How hard can it be to find a job?"

The answer to that question was extremely difficult. It was noon by the time I sat down for a break, and the only reason was because I'd run out of resumes.

I looked up and down the street, sighing. My legs burned. Every inch of my body ached. I felt like a wreck, and I couldn't stop thinking about how I was supposed to find a place to live if I didn't have a job.

With a grunt, I pushed myself to my feet. Eventually, through a stroke of luck or chance or maybe fate, I ended up standing in the parking lot of _Yome's Truck Stop and Coffee Shop._

Sighing once more, I headed for the doors.

Koko was behind the counter, pouring someone a cup of coffee. As he slid it across the counter to the big trucker in the seat nearest to him, he looked up, grinning when he saw me.

"Mikan! You came back! Couldn't resist the charm, hey?"

I collapsed on a stool at the counter, dropping my bag to my feet and dropping my head onto the cold, hard surface. "This isn't going well."

"The job search? Where have you applied?" As he spoke, he poured another coffee and slid it to me with a plate of cream and sugar. "You look beat. Rough sleep in the new city?"

_Rough sleep is right. _"I've applied everywhere you could ever think to apply. Everywhere. In fact, I ran out of resumes and I've never hated filling out applications more in my life. How am I supposed to afford an a-" I stopped myself, gritted my teeth, and angrily poured three creams into my coffee before trying again. "How am I supposed to afford school if I can't even get a job?"

Koko watched me add three sugars and then handed me a spoon with a raised eyebrow. "Triple-triple? Classy." He wiped the escaped granules of sugar off the counter with the rag hanging off his short apron. "Give the places a chance to glance at your resume. They're probably pretty busy."

I stirred the coffee, listening to the spoon clank against the cup with a growing urge to throw the whole thing at the floor. But the moment I felt it, I squelched the feeling and slammed my fist on the counter. "You're right. They'll come around and realize I could be the best employee they ever hired, and then I'm going to blow their minds."

"That's the spirit. Can I get you something to eat? You're looking a little pale. Well, pal_er_."

I rested my hand on my stomach gingerly, feeling drool pool in my mouth at the thought of a delicious warm crescent sliding its way down my throat, the butter coating my lips and firing up my taste buds with its salty goodness…

"No, thank you. I already ate."

"Hey! Skinny boy!" A man sitting across the room at a booth by himself waved for Koko. "Gonna take my order?"

Koko threw the rag over his shoulder, grabbed his notebook out of his apron, and walked around the counter, mumbling something about a late waitress.

I took a sip of the coffee, felt its bittersweet taste and warmth on my tongue, and chugged the rest. The fat man sitting in the stool next to me watched me expectantly. I smiled at him and turned back to my empty mug, and waited for him to look away. When he didn't, I turned in my seat to face him.

"I'm Mikan."

"Honey, you looking for a job?" he asked in a whisper.

I nodded my head eagerly. "I need one _really _badly. Like life or death here. Well, not really, since it's just for school, but it's still life or death. I think I'll give myself until tomorrow to at least get an interview, and if not by then, then I'm screwed-"

"Were you listening to the boy?" he interrupted impatiently. "The waitress here, she's a rich little girl whose parents forced her to get a job. She shows up when she wants and stays until she's bored. She's got Koko's old man wrapped around her finger. Know why? Because she brings in business and as much as Koko hates to admit it, this place wouldn't be doing so good without her. But you," He sat back in his chair, looking smug, "You're a cutie. And you sound like you'd make a reasonable employee."

I felt my eyes light up. I clasped my hands together under my chin and scooted forward on my chin. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, yeah I do. Lemme handle this." As Koko came around the counter to pin the other man's order on the window leading to the kitchen, the man beside me motioned him closer. "Koko, my boy, you need some help around this place."

Koko grinned, oblivious to the anxiety radiating off of me. "What, Daichi, you thinking of taking a job here? You won't miss the big rigs?"

Daichi laughed a booming laugh. "No, kid, you know who I'm talking about." He jerked his thumb in my direction. "Don't even try to deny that she would be an asset to this place."

Koko's eyes flashed to me for a split second, suddenly serious. "Daichi, she's not fit for a place like this."

"I'm not?" I asked, at the same time Daichi said, "Why the hell would you think that?"

"You've seen the people that come in here and hit on Sumire," he muttered lowly. "But she can hold her own with that snobby attitude of hers. That's why it's safe to keep her around." He turned to me. "Mikan, I think you're too nice for this job."

I frowned. "Too nice to waitress or bus tables? Oh, please. Give me a break. I just said I'd blow the mind of any employer who gave me a chance."

"No. I won't have all these pigs of men trying to take advantage of you. I have to break up enough fights and kick enough people out because of Sumire. This is a truck stop, Mikan. Truckers who spend days at a time on the road with nothing but themselves and their own two hands come in here. Obviously, they're going to be a little bored and do what they can to change that."

Daichi waved his hand dismissively. "Spare her the lecture, Koko. She may be a little naïve, but leave her with Sumire for a little while and she'll pick up on that attitude."

Koko studied me, and then shook his head. "No she won't. You probably apologize to doorframes when you run into them, don't you?"

I opened my mouth to object, and then slammed it shut again when I realized if I objected I would be lying. Because I did do that. On occasion. It's not like I went around bumping into doorframes everyday.

"That's what I thought. Mikan, I don't doubt that you would be a great employee. I just don't think you're the right fit to be working here. You're going to have to look elsewhere."

My eyes threatened to burn, but I fought it back and pouted. "Koko, if I don't get a job, my aunt's going to kill me, my future is going to go down the toilet, and I'm never going to get married." It was surprising how easily the lies came now that I had my story down pat.

"What does this have to do with getting married?"

"I'm going to end up being a bum. No one wants to marry a bum." Of course, I left out that I was already a bum.

"Mikan, you're a beautiful girl. If worse comes to worse, go into modelling."

Daichi threw his hands out. "So you'd encourage her to follow a career that entails anorexia and bulimia and drugs and health issues, but you won't let her work here. What kind of twisted logic is this?"

"The modelling agency doesn't have Natsume," Koko replied dryly. "And the people that associate with him."

Daichi snorted. "You honestly think _Natsume _would let her get involved in all that crap? Sumire hasn't gotten anywhere with him, no matter how much she fawns over him."

"If they come in here, see her and find ample opportunity to use her without Natsume's knowledge, then what?"

I looked between them, feeling the electricity from their heated stares. "I'm failing to understand how this Natsume character has anything to do with me working here. I'd just be a waitress. It's not like I'm tying strings or anything. Whoever he's _associated with_, they're not going to give me the time of day."

Daichi pointed at me, his eyes never leaving Koko's, and gave him a thumbs-up gesture, nodding. "See? She's not _that _naïve. Knows a thing or two about how to handle herself."

Koko gritted his teeth in frustration. "You two are-" He stopped in mid-sentence, cursed, and looked at the clock on the wall behind him. "Speaking of Natsume, looks like he just drove up."

"Watch," Daichi said confidently. "He won't even give her a second glance. Pretty as she is, Natsume doesn't make a habit of mingling with the ladies."

"Is he gay?" I asked innocently.

Koko managed to laugh. "No. He's just a little rough around the edges. He draws girls in unintentionally with his shockingly good looks and bad-ass vibe, and then he scares them away with his brooding, intentionally rude personality. He's not the kind of crowd you want to mix with. Hell, _he _doesn't even want to mix with the crowd he mixes with. Natsume's a complicated guy."

Daichi clapped his hands together. "Let this be a test. If Natsume scares her away, then she's not hired. She holds her ground, you have to hire her. And if you won't, I'll talk to your old man. I know what he'll say about her."

Koko clenched his jaw, ignoring my hopeful smile, and then slammed his hand on the counter. "All right. Fine. She'll run screaming."

"_Yes_," I murmured, hauling my bag up over the counter and tossing it at Koko. "Keep that back there so it doesn't look like I'm too much of the new girl in town. This guy's not making me go anywhere. Where does he sit?"

"Right where you're sitting, honey," Daichi said.

"Oh, good. What a great way to introduce myself."

Koko shook his head, covering his mouth with one hand, hiding a smile. "Daichi, I give her a minute and a half before she grabs her bag and makes a beeline for the door."

Daichi shook his head confidently. "She'll still be here when Ruka rolls up."

I frowned. "Who's Ruka?"

"Natsume and Ruka have been best friends since elementary. They meet here for coffee every Monday since their lifestyles aren't exactly going in the same direction."

The door dinged open behind me. Koko looked over my head and grinned, waving energetically before turning to the kitchen when the cook yelled, "Order up!" Daichi glanced over his shoulder, adjusted his position on his seat, and murmured, "He's on his way over. Don't let him break you, honey. Not even with those good looks. You've got this."

I took a deep breath and listened to the heavy footfalls of heavy boots across the tiled floor, until they came to a stop just behind me. Mustering up my smile that was confident, cheery, and determined – because my future was on the line here – I turned in the rotating stool to face this oh-so-scary Natsume…

…and my mouth promptly dropped open.

I pointed a finger at him in shock. "_You_!"

The expression on his face was unreadable, but like the night before, I saw a tinge of anger, followed by an even more subtle flash of amusement through those red eyes. "Yeah, me. And you're on _my _stool."

* * *

><p>AN: My dear readers, I would like to thank you all once again for the support I've been getting. It really is wonderful to hear from all of you! Please note that if I don't reply to your reviews, I have still received them and do take them into consideration! So keep reviewing! :)

Some of you are probably getting impatient with the introduction into the romance, but for a story like this, the background is just as important as the romance! Unlike my other stories, this one is going to need more building up for it to seem as realistic as possible! Don't you worry though! Now that Mikan and Natsume have met, it's time to introduce the attraction!


	4. Unattainable Perfection

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>I gaped at him; I could feel Daichi and Koko staring at me, no longer smiling, but I paid them no mind. I was too busy controlling the urge to fume and go on some long rant about what a bully this guy was.<p>

In the light of day coming in from the big windows at the front of the building, he looked just as good, if not better, than he had cast in shadows the previous night. His skin was tanned, just enough so that the black of his hair and his leather jacket and black jeans didn't wash him out. His eyes were even redder now, and so captivating that the only reason I didn't get lost in them was because I couldn't stop thinking about him beating on that poor boy. His black leather jacket was worn and broken in, which probably just made it comfortable, and it was open to reveal a navy shirt with a logo I didn't recognize with a bit of a V-neck that hinted at a toned chest.

So he was good looking. Big deal.

"This?" I looked over my shoulder at Koko, motioning to the boy in front of me. "This is Natsume? The scary guy? He's just a big bully!"

Koko snapped his mouth shut. "How do you even know him? You just got here yesterday! Natsume, don't you go corrupting this girl. She's very sensitive and-"

"And naïve?" Natsume finished for him.

I folded my arms over my chest. "I'm not naïve."

He stared at me. "Get out of my seat."

"Quit being a baby and sit in an empty one." I pointed to the empty one on my right. "Wide open."

Daichi whistled under his breath and shot Koko a look, but Koko wasn't paying attention. He was still looking between Natsume and me, trying to connect the dots on why I wasn't running and why Natsume looked about to throttle me.

"He was beating a kid up last night," I grumbled. "So rude. The boy – his name was Yuu – was _so _nice. I just wanted to pinch his cheeks. And then some guy that's with this big jerk pulls out this gun – which I'm sure was fake, because people don't go around carrying guns these days – and points it at me and this guy tells me to skedaddle, so that was what I did."

Koko raised an eyebrow. "You…skedaddled? Just like that? Away from the fake gun?"

Natsume's eyes were burning big holes in my back, so I turned in my seat again. "Look, I'm not going to move."

"Yes you are."

"Natsume," Koko warned.

Daichi sighed. "Stubborn as always. Mikan, you best let him take his seat."

I snorted. "No way."

"I'll make you get out if I have to, little girl," Natsume said darkly. Here was the brooding personality Koko had been talking about. Dark and brooding.

"No, you won't. Would you stop acting like a child? I don't see your name on this chair or anywhere near it, and it belongs to Koko and his dad, so you can't make me do anything. And I have a name, and you know it. I told you myself."

Koko's eyes swung to me. "You told him your name?"

"He threw me up against the wall," I said dryly. "I had to establish familiarity so I introduced myself."

Natsume scoffed. "Figured she knew you. Your mouth isn't favourable, little girl. It's starting to annoy me."

"Oh, boohoo. I don't make room for bullies, thank you very much. When you apologize to me and to poor Yuu, then maybe I'll consider showing you my much nicer side. But until then, this is the Mikan you get."

He didn't like that. His eyes narrowed and his mouth straightened into a line. But only for a second. Eventually, he smirked at Koko over my head. "She has no idea, does she?"

Koko sighed and shook his head. "Not at all. And you're not going to tell her. Were you and Reo collecting?"

"I'll spare you the details."

Someone called across the store and Koko excused himself, muttering something else about needing a new waitress.

"Hey, little girl. You move out of my seat, I give you an apology, and we never see each other again." The way he said it made me think that he thought there was no way I'd turn it down, but I just scowled at him.

"Yuu needs an apology more than I do. If I hadn't followed that cat-"

"Whoa, hold on," Daichi interrupted. "You followed a cat? That's how you ran into him and his sidekick?" He barked a laugh. "Natsume, tell me, was it a black cat?"

"She's not superstitious."

"But it was," I threw in.

Daichi laughed harder. "Oh, the irony! There is something seriously creepy about that."

"Nothing creepy. Just rude and unethical and if this seat really means that much to you, then I'll give it away for an apology." I studied him, searching his eyes to a clue to what he was thinking.

His smirk was barely noticeable. "Fine."

I shot to my feet. "Fine!" Sitting down in the seat directly next to the one he was now sitting in, I waited for him to get comfortable before clearing my throat.

He glanced over at me. "Don't believe everything everyone says to you, little girl. Chances are they're lying to get what they want out of you."

Before I could object and throw a fit like the child he thought I was, Daichi hooted. "Koko! Look who just rolled up!"

Koko looked out the window from the table he was taking an order from and sighed, rubbing out the frown lines on his forehead. I followed Daichi's gaze, and saw a sleek silver car swing into a parking spot just out front. I watched the car until a tall blonde boy climbed out, and then swung my gaze to Natsume the Jerk and Daichi. Daichi looked victorious, and Natsume had a sort of fond look carefully hidden away in his eyes.

The pieces fell together and I shot out of my seat, forgetting Natsume's unfair tactic at getting me out of my seat. I threw my arms in the air and twirled around. "_Yes! _That's Ruka, right? The guy you have coffee with sometimes?"

Natsume arched a perfect eyebrow at me. I took it as a yes.

"I have a job!"

Koko came back to the counter with his new order in his hand and sighed once more. "This is against my will," he said, catching a look I didn't recognize from Natsume. "She was determined to get it and Daichi was determined to make her get it."

"She doesn't belong here, Yome," he said.

"Tell that to her."

"Shut up," I said to Natsume the Jerk. "I'm just as suited to this place as you are, and I'm going to rake in the money for Koko and his dad. Just watch me! Pass me my bag, Koko, I have to celebrate!" I waited for him to pass the bag over the counter, and then hoisted it onto my back. "When do I start? Tomorrow? Tonight? I know how to work till. I worked in the same coffee shop for four years. What should I wear?"

"Wear long black pants and a white shirt that shows as little skin as possible," Koko said. "Come in tomorrow at seven in the morning, and I'll have you out of here by eleven."

"But that's only four hours," I objected.

"I'll be training you. Four hours is long enough. If Sumire shows up, then she'll work the long shift, and my dad will come in when I get off."

"You just don't want me to see Natsume because you think we're going to get in a cat fight."

The bells on the door notified us of someone's entrance, and I turned on my heel, beaming. "Hello, Ruka! My name is Mikan, and I'm Koko's newest employee, thanks to you!" I offered my hand, although I almost forgot because his shocking blue eyes nearly floored me.

He cocked his head curiously. "Thanks to me? Nice to meet you, Mikan."

"I had to withstand your buddy's presence until you got here, and I did." I jabbed my thumb at Natsume, who rolled his eyes and turned to Koko, demanding a coffee and a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon.

Ruka chuckled. "You deserve something for that. Natsume's pretty good at scaring people off. Too bad for him, he was cursed with good looks so he's a natural magnet for unwanted attention."

"He's a jerk," I grumbled. "Nothing more to it." I slipped past him, opening the door. "See you tomorrow, Koko! See you never, Natsume! Thanks, Daichi! Nice to meet you, Ruka!"

"Cover up, Mikan!" Koko called, a second before the door slammed shut after me.

I breathed in the warm air, satisfied with myself and with where this was going. Tonight, I was sleep in the same place, except this time when I woke up in the morning, I wouldn't feel hopeless. I would feel reborn, because I had a chance.

* * *

><p>It was funny how it worked. The moment I get a job, everybody suddenly wants me. My cell phone rang three times that afternoon, all asking for interviews later in the day. I took two out of the three of them, because the last one was at the same time as another and I would prefer the job for the interview I was attending.<p>

I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and changed into my most sophisticated outfit, which was my sandals and the blazer I'd packed, along with my skinny jeans.

The first interview was at a bar I'd applied at for a waitress position. It was classy, dark on the inside with these neon blue lights under the counters and tables and chairs. The second interview was for a coffee shop, family run, much like the one I'd worked with before my grand escape. It was quiet and the manager/owner was such a doll, and I felt like I related to her personally.

There were two reasons why I chose the waitress job, however. One, because it paidd better. Secondly, because no matter how quiet and quaint this coffee shop was, how relaxing, every time I walked in here it would remind me of the horror I'd escaped that I just wanted to escape.

When the coffee shop called later that night, I told them that I was sorry but something had come up. And, as I'd hoped, the bar called me, too, when there was one bar of battery left on my cell phone, and offered me the job for the night shift, nine in the evening until three in the morning, every second day, and three in the afternoon to midnight, with weekends off. I accepted their offer, and as I hung up my phone, the battery promptly gave out.

* * *

><p>I'd packed smartly, having planned on getting a job. The black pants and white button up shirt were what I had worn at the coffee shop, which was fortunate for this new job at Koko's. I was being provided with a uniform at the bar, but I imagined it wouldn't be much different. The manager had been female; that offered me an ounce of assurance.<p>

I slept under the same tree that night, and although I still woke up a hundred times and still woke up sore and disoriented, I was in an infinitely better mood. I was on my feet at five in the morning, stumbling down a path surrounded by trees, lugging my bag off of me, and hating what I was about to do.

I changed into my bathing suit with my blanket wrapped around me, and then stood on the river bank that I'd purposely slept by. I stared down at the water tumbling over the rocks, rushing past my toes, knowing it was going to be cold.

I patted my hair. It was tangled and greasy and I really didn't have a chance. I'd promised to blow Koko's mind with my work ethic. To do that, I figured I'd best be clean.

Holding my breath, I leapt into the water, landing on the rocks on my feet and wincing before dropping my entire body into the icy liquid. A shiver escaped up my spine and made me tremble as I swam against the current to warm up before wading over to the riverbank and fishing through my backpack for my travel sized soap, shampoo and conditioner.

By the time I climbed out of the water, I was shivering and my lips were probably blue. Since I didn't have a towel, I used my blanket to dry off, and then hid behind a bush to change into my work clothes and shake as much water as possible out of my long, heavy hair before braiding it over one shoulder. I used my compact mirror to bat on mascara and give color to my ashen face with foundation and bronzer, and then beamed at myself and used a water bottle from my backpack to brush my teeth.

I was at the door to _Yome's Truck Stop and Coffee Shop _by quarter to seven.

Koko looked up upon my entrance. The shop was adequately busy with truckers stopping in for breakfast or taking a rest before continuing wherever their journey had them headed. There were a few bikers, too, who were huddled in a corner talking amongst themselves over coffee and donuts. Daichi was nowhere to be seen, and neither were Natsume or his buddy Ruka.

"Morning, Mikan!" Koko exclaimed, motioning for me to go behind the counter. "Welcome to your first day on the job!" He took my backpack from me, apparently startled by its weight. "Why the hell are you carrying this around with you?"

It hadn't even crossed my mind that he hadn't asked about it before, and now that I was faced with the question, I wasn't sure how to answer it. Why did I need a backpack that weight four thousand pounds with me all the time? I couldn't tell him that it currently held my entire life in it.

"Always prepared," I offered meekly.

He looked about to argue, then sighed and dragged it over to a cupboard under the till. "This is where personal items go. It's not very big, so maybe pack a little lighter next time."

"Sorry."

He grinned. "No worries. Come on. I'll show you the ropes."

The kitchen in the back was bigger than I expected, apparently because they did more than coffee shop goodies here. They served soup, salad, and sandwiches at lunch and for dinner had burgers and fries, but breakfast was their specialty. I knew how to use a till and how to answer the phone, and Koko told me that I wouldn't have to worry about the gas station part of the business, just the customer service related part, because that's what I would be best at.

"There's one thing you have to understand, Mikan," he said, suddenly very serious. "I will tell you what tables to serve. You have to listen to me. If you serve a table that I don't want you serving, then I'm going to have to fire you. It's for your own safety and your well-being, understand?"

I didn't understand at all, but I nodded anyway.

He clapped his hands together. "So what have you learned?"

"Discount cards do not apply to anything but gas. Customers cannot get a ten percent discount off of their donuts because they get gas here. Bills in the till should be face up at all times, and our menu does not have anything vegetarian on it. I cannot promise that something has not come in contact with nuts, therefore it isn't entirely safe for someone with severe nut allergies to trust our food. If Natsume comes in, I'm not allowed to serve him – not that I'd want to. If Hotaru comes in, I'm not allowed to serve her because she'd probably find a way to fire me. If you tell me not to serve a certain customer or group of customers, I have to listen or I'm fired."

He nodded in approval. "Good. Let's get you started then. Table three. I want you to take their orders."

The first hour and a half while it was just Koko and I working the shop went smoothly. I fell back into the routine of helping customers like I'd never stopped, and I could tell that whatever I was doing was impressing Koko. I forgot about the strange boy Natsume with the rude attitude and amazing eyes, and I forgot about Koko's paranoid warnings.

And then I was fortunate enough to meet Sumire Shouda.

She came barrelling into the store at ten after nine, wearing a short black skirt and a low cut white shirt. Her curly hair was tinted a strange shade of green and her skin was dried and dark from too much time in the sun, or in a tanning bed. Her teeth flashed out white against the tone of her skin and her lips were heavily glossed. I felt like she'd be much prettier if she didn't try so hard.

"So it's true!" she wailed, pointing an accusing finger at Koko. "You replaced me!"

I stood as still as a stone, a tray of drinks clasped tightly in my hands. I looked from the raging Sumire to Koko, who was just shaking his head in disbelief and sighing. But I caught the look. The fond look that gave me a whole new insight as to why Sumire was still allowed to work here given her awful work ethic. Getting out of high school didn't make you blind to the obvious attraction of one person to another.

"Sumire, stop being a brat," he said, tossing her an apron. "You're irreplaceable."

She looked at the apron in her hand, and then at me, and then she grinned and strutted over to me. "I'm Sumire Shouda, Koko's best employee. _Ever_."

I took her hand and shook it. "Mikan. Nice to meet you."

Koko was laughing from where he was behind the counter. "Shouda, you're far from my best employee. Mikan's already giving you a run for your money."

She scowled. "Don't play games with me, Yome."

"I'm not. She's got more done in less than two hours than you usually get done in four hours."

I stepped away from her to take the order of the elderly couple that had just taken a seat by the doors of the coffee shop. I figured whatever flirty feud Sumire and Koko had between them had best stay between them. If they wanted to fight over Sumire's usefulness – or uselessness – then I'd better stay out of it. Conflicts had never been my favourite situations.

Either Koko had been exaggerating Sumire's bad work attitude, or she was trying to show off to me, because she was the golden waitress for the whole time she was there with me. By the way Koko looked at her like she'd sprouted a second head, I had to assume that she was showing off. And for some reason, that didn't surprise me. As non-judgemental as I was, it was very easy to tell that she fit the stereotype of snobby rich kid very well.

But hey, kudos to her parents for making her get a job. At least she wouldn't be _totally _useless when she was out on her own. Unless she planned on marrying rich. Or maybe she had an arranged marriage to someone rich. Maybe she already had her life all figured out for her.

As I cleaned empty coffee mugs and a plate with a half-eaten donut on it off of a table for two, I wondered what I would rather; having a life all planned out for me, or being in the situation I was in now. Knowing that I would probably be going back to the tree that night for bed, I wished I had her life.

* * *

><p>Daichi came in around the end of my shift and seemed delighted to see me, not to mention incredibly impressed with my service. I couldn't help but glow at his compliments; it really made me so joyful to know that my hard work was being appreciated in some shape or form.<p>

"Hey, Mik," he said at some point from where he sat at the counter on the high bar stool, the exact same place he'd been sitting yesterday. When I turned to him, he motioned me over. "Watch Sumire for a minute. Notice what she's doing?"

I looked over my shoulder at Sumire while I absently dried a coffee mug with my hands. She was shooting smiles at customers and being excessively flamboyant with the male customers, especially the ones with the long beards that eyed her exposed legs like they were pieces of chicken.

"Being super friendly?" I asked. "Friendly enough to make Koko seethe?"

Apparently not expecting that answer, Daichi looked back at Koko and slammed his fist on the counter. "Well, I'll be darned."

"What?"

"The kid's looking at her with stars in his eyes! You know, I could have sworn he hated her for causing so much trouble. Always late, never stays as long as she's supposed to, no self respect." He looked up at me, eyes narrowed in consideration. "How is it that you can walk in here and notice something like _that_, that I haven't even noticed when I'm in here five days a week, but you don't notice how often she glances at the clock?"

"I'm fresh out of high school," I reminded him. "I'm attuned to teenage attraction. Is she really that anxious to get out of here?"

He snorted. "Nah. It nearly eleven o'clock. That means it's about an hour until Natsume's due to come in."

I reached for the coffee pot to warm up his depleting cup of coffee. "So what? He doesn't strike me as the type to tip well. Actually, he doesn't strike me as the type to tip at all. And it's not like he's overly friendly or anything. He's a nasty jerk."

"I thought you were attuned to teenage attraction."

"What? Sumire's attracted to Hyuuga? No way. There is no way someone as pretty as her could actually think a big jerk like him is worth an ounce of her time." When he just stared seriously back, I frowned. "You're kidding. She really does like him? Didn't you say he doesn't give the time of day to _any _female?"

"Not the ones like Shouda, who are like every other girl on the planet, stopping in the middle of the street just to stare at him as he walks by. Women worship him, Mik. I think you surprised us all when you didn't."

"He's an _asshole! _Wait, that was mean. He's just…a really big jerk. It shouldn't matter that he's good looking. He's just-"

"No, it shouldn't matter that he's a jerk," Sumire said, walking around the counter and sticking a slip of paper with someone's order on the kitchen window. "Someone who looks like that doesn't need a good personality. Hell, I'd be his bitch if he asked me to be."

I stared at her, nose crinkled. "But _why_?"

"He's a _god_, honey. All of my friends would be _so _jealous if I could get with him." She grabbed the mug of coffee I'd been pouring for one of my tables and put it on a tray with two glasses of water before shooting me a smile and strutting off.

"All right, Mikan," Koko said, putting his hand on my back and moving me out of the way. "You're done for the day. Daichi, what have you been corrupting her innocent mind with?"

"It wasn't me," Daichi objected. "Shouda's trying to twist logic around on her." He pointed at me. "This girl's smarter than we thought."

Koko watched me with a calculating stare. "Maybe you're right. We'll see how she holds her own. So you still want to come back?"

"I'll stay longer if you want me to."

"No. You don't need any longer on your first day. Same time tomorrow?"

I nodded, pulling my backpack out of the cupboard under the till. "Thanks, Koko! It was really great working with you. Really. It was. I'll see you at seven tomorrow morning!"

"Wait!" Sumire called after me. "Isn't she going to stick around for Natsume?"

"Unlike you, Mikan has a head on her shoulders," Koko answered. "Where you're shallow and think that looks are what makes a man attractive, Mikan is very self respecting and believes that no woman should allow herself to be treated like a piece of meat simply because the object of her lust _thinks _he's high above her. Now _that _is an admirable aspect."

I laughed, throwing the door of the shop open and stepping halfway out. "You're flattering me Koko. Sumire does have self respect, just a different kind."

I had ten hours to kill before I started at my evening job. With two different incomes now securely in my grasp, it was easier to warm up to the idea of spending my money wisely. The manager at the bar, Chihiro, had assured me that the entire uniform, except the shoes was provided. I was told to purchase a pair of black heels that were comfortable but still sexy which I didn't believe was possible but didn't plan on arguing with her about.

That was my first stop. I pulled the map out of my backpack and sat down on a bench, pouring over it in search of a nearby mall. When I found one, I used the walk over to contemplate whether to buy a pair of shoes that were good quality and expensive, or a pair that were cheap but may need to be replaced soon. I ended up making my decision based upon the fact that I picked up a pair of thirty dollar heels with a white bow on the toe and fell in love with them.

I spent the next hour and a half at a library, which took me an hour to walk to. Instead of looking for an apartment, I looked for people who were looking for roommates to split rent with. I wrote down all of my options on the piece of the Safe Grad permission form that I'd stuffed into my backpack months ago and never taken out again. Then I picked up and took everything to a table to compare my options, and while I used a borrowed calculator from the library desk to calculate the cost of living, I charged my phone in a nearby plug-in.

It was five o'clock by the time my stomach grumbled in agony. I complied by feeding it a burger and fries from the burger joint that was on the way to the river. On the river bank, under the strong sun where dozens of people were already dotting the riverbank and enjoying the warm day, I laid down on my blanket and closed my eyes.

Here, it would just look like I was sun tanning. Really, I was having a nap, because I had nowhere else to go to have a nap.

I don't know why, but when I woke up at eight o'clock my stomach was in knots in anticipation and walking to the bar was made difficult because my legs felt like jello.

The bar was on the corner of a street downtown, which meant that when I got there it was already overflowing with people, half of whom were already drunk. Inside, it was mostly dark, save for the lights on the dance floor and the neon blue lights that were beneath the counter at the bar and under tables and chairs. The music was so loud that I didn't know anyone was supposed to hear anything that was said to them, and I wondered how the waitresses or the bartenders managed to get through each night without ODing on painkillers.

"Mikan!"

I looked towards the bar, where the manager who had interviewed me the evening before was waving from the counter. She was short, and wearing a long sleeved black shirt with black pants. She was mixing a drink beside the bulky bartender that had been there during my interview, and he was looking towards me too.

His name was Narumi. He was tall and blonde and my first instinct when I'd seen him was that he was gay, but I couldn't be sure. He had the most charming smile and he'd been unbelievably polite to me. Now, he waved in welcoming.

Chihiro slid the drink to her customer across the bar and then hurried around counter to grab my arm and drag me after her. "I'm so glad you came! Come on, come on! Let's get you changed! You'll look beautiful! I'm going to introduce you to Nonoko and Anna. You'll _love _them!"

I grinned. "Great!"

She took me into the staff room, where she picked up a clothing bag off of the break table and pressed it into my arms. "This is your uniform. Let me see your shoes! Oh, those are beautiful! I hope you can walk in them. Your feet are going to be sore at the end of the night. I highly suggest a foot bath tonight. Or I guess, tomorrow morning. The bathroom's right over there. Go get changed and come on out and I'll show you how it's done."

The uniform was not what I expected. I was expecting long pants and a shirt like Chihiro's. But no. I was given a short black jean skirt and a low cut black tank top. I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time, trying to decide how I felt about it.

"Oh well," I muttered, opening the bathroom door. "No one will hit on me. I look too young."

As I walked into the break room, a girl with the most extravagant pink hair I'd ever seen, all down her back, burst in from the bar, a grin on her face. When she saw me, her eyes lit up.

"You must be Mikan!" She skirted around the table to me and held out her hand. When I offered mine, she took it and gave it a solid shake. "I'm Anna. It's so nice to meet you! Has Chihiro given you the DL on how to act? Probably not. She usually forgets. Come with me. I'll train you tonight until Chihiro gets back." She grabbed me by the wrist and tugged me after her.

I didn't stumble in my heels. I'd always been good at walking in four inch stilettos – it was pretty much a talent I was born with, it came so naturally. Anna looked back at me a few times to make sure I wasn't falling over, and gave my feet a glance of approval.

"So first," she said over the noise, "it's really important to be able to read your customers here. Know what they're thinking and what they're here for, but never be too forward, because that could get you into trouble. Chihiro takes good care of her staff, and she never wants any of us to get into something that we can't get out of, or something that would be dangerous for us. Okay?"

I frowned. "Dangerous how?"

She laughed. "Mikan, we're working a bar where men are going to be drinking a lot. Half of the men that come here are single and looking, or newly single and looking to forget an ex. Enter the waitresses, who are wearing skimpy clothing and are giving our male customers attention – because that's our job. The bottom line is, guys are going to hit on you. Hell, even girls will hit on you. The trick is to know how to keep yourself safe."

I looked down at myself. "You really think they'll hit on me?"

She didn't even look back at me when she said, "Oh, without a doubt. You're hot. It's a consequence."

Behind the bar, Narumi was mixing two drinks for the ladies sitting daintily across from him. They were talking to each other, but of the two, the brunette kept sending Narumi fluttery-eyed glances hoping he'd notice.

"See that?" Anna pointed. "What is the woman doing right now?"

"Flirting?" I guessed. "With her eyes?"

"Yes. Like that Katy Perry song. _I'm flirting with my eyes, wanna leave with you tonight_. Good job. You see what Narumi's doing? He's being friendly but very distant. That's what you have to do. If he were to be any friendlier, that girl would probably ask for his number. He doesn't want that. There's a really fine line. You can't be _too _distant or customers will complain about customer service."

"Hey! Anna!"

We both turned to see the approach of a tall, pale girl with hair that was so dark it looked black in the lack of light of the bar. She pranced over to us on heels that looked even higher than mine and came to a stop in front of me. "Mikan? I'm Nonoko! Nice to meet you! First time working in a bar?"

I nodded.

She laughed. "You've got that deer in the headlights look. Don't worry! Just keep your cool and avoid any men taking swings at your ass!"

It was harder than she made it sound. Anna had me follow her to the first table she took orders from so I could see how she did it. She gave smiles all around the table of guys, never coming in close enough contact that one of them could touch her, but always wearing this charming, welcoming smile that gave off a friendly and slightly flirty vibe.

The next table, she made me do on my own, which I wasn't sure I was ready for. She sent me with a table populated with men and women, however, so I felt far less uncomfortable. As soon as I was at the table, it was easy to melt into the usual friendly person I was.

"Good job!" Anna praised. "Looks like you're not going to need much help after all!"

She had me memorize the specials in case someone asked, and then had me memorize the kind of beers we had on tap, and then she sent me off on my own. Since I'd waitressed before, it wasn't hard to pick up on, and before I knew it, I was on my dinner break – on which I ate nothing – and then we were closing the bar.

Chihiro apparently had caught up to Anna while I was at a table taking orders, and told her to tell me I was doing a great job before she had to leave for the end of her shift. It was just me, Anna, Nonoko, Narumi, and two other bartenders whose names I didn't know for the rest of the night. Until three in the morning. Around midnight I started feeling tired. By two o'clock, when we closed the bar and started clean up and count the tills, I was sluggish and my feet felt broken.

I can't quite express my hopelessness knowing that I didn't have anywhere to go where I could soak my feet in the bath, or any bed to curl up on to sleep comfortably before tackling my two jobs again the next day.

"So, Mikan," Nonoko asked while we were cleaning up. "Are you new in town?"

I nodded, pretending I was energetic when all I could think about was sleep. "Just graduated high school. My aunt lives here and came here to live with her while I work so I can go to post secondary here!" It came easily now, as automatic as if it were the truth. But it wasn't. And I couldn't forget that.

I changed my shoes while we cleaned up, slipping my flip flops on and jamming my pretty heels into my backpack. The sigh was impossible to muffle; it felt amazing.

Anna laughed. "That's what I did after my first shift too. I'm really impressed though. You did an amazing job."

I grinned, grateful. "Thanks! Do you two always work the night shift?"

Both nodded. "We've both been working here for a year now," she explained. "We're roommates. It pays the bills."

"It actually pays really well," I put in. Which was good for me.

"That's why we stick around," Nonoko said. "That, and the atmosphere is great. We like the people here. Never had any trouble!"

Anna shot her a look. "I wouldn't say never."

I stood up from where I'd been crouched on the ground picking up a fallen fork and turned to face them, instantly curious. "What kind of trouble?"

Nonoko waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing huge. Gangs come in here, you know? It's a bar, kind of the place they'd gravitate towards. Anyway, two different gangs ended up in here and they had this showdown. We called the police. Everything turned out all right."

"Was everyone all right?" I asked, unable to hide my concern.

Anna patted my shoulder. "You're too cute. Everyone was fine."

The lights in the bar shut off, and without batting an eyelash, Nonoko and Anna made their way to the break room. I trailed behind them, stumbling over the leg of a table and catching myself on the bar counter. The lights in the break room were still on though, so I could see as I reached for my backpack and waited for Narumi, Anna, Nonoko, and the other two bartenders to grab their stuff.

"How was your first shift, Mikan?" Narumi asked with this cheerful grin that was out of place at three in the morning. "Fantastic? Adventurous? A beautiful journey?"

Nonoko rolled her eyes. "It's too late for your drama, Narumi," she muttered. "How 'bout, was it good?"

I laughed. "It was a fantastically adventurous, beautiful journey."

Narumi clapped his hands together. "See, ladies? That's how it's done!"

Anna groaned. "Mikan, you can't play along with him. He'll drive you mad eventually."

"Now, now, Anna. Don't be mad because I like Mikan more than you already."

"Hey!" She slapped his arm. "That's not the kind of thing you say to the girl that gave you a ride home because you were too baby to walk in the rain last week!"

That was one thing I was not prepared for. Rain. And when I opened the door first and stepped outside into the torrential downpour, I believe I died a little bit inside.

Nonoko barked out a laugh. "Suck on _that _Narumi! Now what are you going to do?"

The two other bartenders, who hadn't said much, said their goodbyes and hurried across the street to their vehicles. Narumi latched onto Anna's arm, pretending to sob – or maybe he really was sobbing. It was hard to tell.

"I'm sorry, Anna! You're my favourite! You always have been!"

She wiggled out of his grasp, chuckling. "You're an idiot. Come on. We can take you home."

Nonoko crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, can _we?_"

Anna laughed and stepped out from under the cover of the bar and into the pouring rain. "We're nice people. You don't need a ride too, do you, Mikan?"

I managed to smile. "No thanks. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Mikan!" Narumi called.

I didn't dig my sweater out of my backpack because I didn't want it to be wet in case I had to sleep with it on. I wrapped my arms around myself instead and began walking through the dark, my path lit only by the occasional flashes of lightening and the streetlights. Ten minutes into the walk, I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to be able to get back to the river.

"Mikan, you are _full _of bad ideas," I muttered to myself, shivering when a gust of wind blew my wet hair, matting it against my face and neck and bare shoulders. "Next time, maybe you should make sure you can afford an apartment before you decide to run away."

I heard the vehicle before I actually processed that it was close and that it was stopping. The brakes squeaked from the rain, and I could hear the windshield wipers beating back and forth. I slowed down, looking over my shoulder as the small red car came to a stop at the curb next to me.

The passenger window rolled down, and a boy leaned across the seat. "Need to get somewhere?"

I squinted into the car, and then the boy's face eventually processed as the face of the boy from the other night, the one who Natsume the Jerk had been beating up. Fighting the sigh of relief, I reached for the car door and let myself inside.

"I'm sorry," I said, shoving my backpack down by my feet. "I'm soaking wet."

"That's all right." He pushed his glasses us his nose, his eyes awkwardly lingering on the skin that my short skirt exposed. "What are you doing out in the rain?"

I caught my breath. "Um. Going…home?"

"Where do you live? I'll take you there."

I looked over at him. We were stopped at a red light, and in the glow of the streetlights and the lights coming from the dashboard, I could see the raw innocence of his face, which made me wonder all the more how he'd gotten himself into trouble with Natsume the Jerk.

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked.

He looked over, surprised. "Yes?"

I turned to look out the windshield, running my hands over my face before bending over and burying my face in my knees. "All right. Here it goes. I don't have a home."

His eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his blonde hair. His glasses fell all the way down his nose before he pushed them up irritably. But just as quickly as it came, the expression disappeared. "You need somewhere to stay?"

"I've been looking. I'm trying to find somewhere to rent, and I think I'm getting pretty close. I just need to make a final decision. It's not a big deal. I've been sleeping down at a park for the last couple of nights. It's not bad, but…" I motioned out the window. "I'm not dumb enough to get pneumonia."

"Mikan, right?"

I nodded.

"You can stay with me until you find a place. If you want, I mean. You don't have to, if you don't want to. I just have the couch. But it's a little better than the ground at the park. Depending who you ask, I guess. It's up to you. You can use my washing machine, too, and the shower and everything. It's not a big deal. Right? You might not want to hang around me, though, because I'm caught up with all that crap. But I'm not a bad guy, honest."

I barely noticed the blush creeping up his neck. My own heart was beginning to beat with this sense of hope that I pleaded with fate not to let me false. "Are you sure? I don't want to cause any trouble…"

He swallowed loudly. "I'm sure. It's no problem. I owe you anyway."

I didn't bother fighting my grin. Safely stopped at another red light, I threw myself at him, winding my arms around his neck and holding him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, I can tell we're going to be good friends."

His apartment was about a ten minute drive from the bar. He was on the fourth floor, right above a couple that liked to fight and right below a few teenagers that liked to party. However, since I would be working until three in the morning, I would likely miss the worst of their parties for the duration of my stay.

The apartment was a single bedroom, with a small bath and shower and a small living room that had only enough room for a couch and a chair and a small TV. But the moment I sat down on the small, worn couch, I groaned in joy and comfort and melted into the fabric.

"Thank you, Yuu. I mean it. This means a lot to me."

He ran his hand through his hair. "It's not a problem. Like I said, I kind of owe you."

I stood up. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't owe me anything. I was just in the right place at the right time."

He nervously stuck his hands in his pockets, rocking back onto his heels. "Nothing bad would have happened. I know it seemed like it, but…Natsume wouldn't have hurt me."

"Are you kidding? The guy's a jerk."

He shook his head. "We went to school together. I've known him since the first grade. He wouldn't have hurt me. He was just putting on a show because he's got a reputation to keep and it would be against Persona's rules if he let me off easy. He's just doing his job."

I snorted. "His job is beating people up?"

He tilted his head, studying me like I was forgetting something. "Mikan, aren't you going to ask why he was after me to begin with?"

"No. Why would I ask that? That's your business. And I don't want you to think I'm judgemental. Because I'm totally not."

"You're staying in my apartment. Don't you want to know what kind of person you're sharing a bathroom with?"

"Yuu, you don't really strike me as a criminal. But if it makes you feel better, fine. I'll ask. What was Natsume after you for?"

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly through his nose. "Natsume's a collector. He collects the things that Persona is owed. I got into some trouble a couple years back financially. I thought Persona was a godsend when he gave me money out of the blue. And then he started asking for it back.

"He wanted me to sell drugs for him. Traffic them. He wanted me to race cars too. Natsume does that. He races cars for money. But Natsume wouldn't let me get into all of that. He said if I paid the cash I owed, Persona would leave me alone, and that would be that."

I felt my face soften. "This Persona guy sounds nasty."

"He is. He got Natsume out of trouble, too. That's why Natsume's in the gang. He can't get out because he owes Persona too much. And he's Persona's best racer, so it's not like he'll let him go easy."

I couldn't help the feeling of bitterness towards this Persona character. He reminded me a lot of my mom; controlling and kind of a bitch. I didn't want anyone to have to go through a situation anywhere close to similar to mine, whether it was Natsume the Jerk or not.

"Thanks for telling me, Yuu," I said softly.

He nodded. "I'm going to head to bed. Feel free to have a bath or something. You look cold."

Now that he mentioned it, I realized that my skin was prickled with goosebumps and I was quivering in my wet clothes. While he turned and closed himself into his bedroom, I made a beeline for the bath. While it filled with steaming hot water, I ate a granola bar and promised myself to start eating more in the next little while.

I got into the bath with relish, letting the scalding water engulf my aching limbs and soothe the cold out of them. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, and while I drifted, I thought of Persona, and how he demanded the impossible from Yuu – money – and my mom, and how she demanded from me the things I couldn't give her – affection, loyalty, and perfection.

* * *

><p>AN: This was longer than I realized. Sorry about that! Once again, this required more building up! But I promise you, now that they have met, it can only get better from here on out! Stay tuned!

xo.


	5. Monster

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>Yuu offered to drive me to <em>Yome's<em> in the morning, but I told him walking would probably do my sore muscles good. Besides, it was only about a half hour walk. He gave me a key, insisting that I should be allowed to enter and leave on my own terms while I was staying with him, even when I told him he didn't have to feel obligated to give me that much freedom.

"Don't be ridiculous," he'd said as he pressed the key into my hand. "As long as you're here, this place is as much yours as it is mine."

I made a mental note to pay half his rent.

It wasn't raining anymore, but the sky was overcast and the air was heavy with moisture. By the time I walked into _Yome's, _I felt like my hair was standing on end, and by the looks I got from Koko and Daichi, who was sitting at the counter, I assumed that it was.

"Good morning!" I called, smoothing down my hair with my hands.

"Finally ditched the backpack," Koko pointed out.

I grinned and spun around, showing off my empty back. "Yep." I'd left it at Yuu's apartment, deciding there was nothing in it I really needed besides my cell phone.

"Look at you!" Daichi bellowed, with an air of fondness to his voice that made me smile. "Working hard, hey? What'd she tell you, Koko? What'd _I _tell you Koko?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, waving his hand dismissively. "Enough with the 'I told you so's'. Mikan was indeed an asset and a good idea to hire. I guess I should thank Natsume, though. He's the one that made her win the deal."

"My iron willpower made me win the deal," I objected.

"If I'd put a puppy on the line, you probably wouldn't have had such iron willpower."

I considered this, and then nodded. "Point made."

Maybe it was because of the dreary weather, but the shop wasn't very busy that morning. In fact, Koko and I were so bored that he decided to teach me till in the convenience store section of the shop. Sumire wasn't scheduled to work until one, but Koko reckoned she'd probably be in around noon to catch Natsume, and then she'd probably leave early and he'd have to stay late.

"He's not that great," I grumbled.

Daichi laughed. "Honey, you're the first girl that has probably ever said that. Why do you think he comes _here_, to a truck stop? Because there's mostly guys here. So he doesn't have to deal with screaming girls thinking he's a superstar because he was born looking like he does."

I thought about what Yuu had said, and as much as I hated to admit it, I'd gained an ounce of respect for Natsume. Just an ounce though. I still didn't appreciate him beating up Yuu…especially now that I knew they were friends.

The door dinged and I, bored of the slowness of the morning, straightened immediately and threw on my hundred watt smile, rushing around the counter to seat her. The closer I got, the more familiar she looked, and by the time I was standing in front of her, I recognized her as the girl from Saturday, who had kicked me out.

"A table for one?" I asked cheerfully.

"Two," she replied blandly, and then proceeded to step past me and walk to a window seat for two.

Unfazed, I followed after her, handing her a menu. "Can I get you something to drink to start?"

Her violet eyes rose to mine, cool and collected and almost frightening. She pushed the menu back towards me. "Just a coffee."

"Cream and sugar?"

"No. I take it black." I almost expected her to add, "Like my heart."

"Sure. I'll be right back with that!" I whirled around and hurried back to the kitchen to poor her coffee, where Koko was watching me carefully.

"She's not as scary as she looks."

"She's not scary at all!" I exclaimed. "She's so cool. I wish I could act like she does. It's amazing, don't you think?"

He sighed. "No, Mikan, you stay the way you are. One Hotaru Imai is enough in this world."

"I thought she only came in on Saturdays."

He shook his head. "No. She comes here for coffee with Ruka sometimes. They're dating. Well, if that's what you want to call it. Ruka's infatuated with her and Imai's got all the cards. She's got him wrapped around her little finger. Poor sucker. If he wasn't so in love I'd tell him to get out while he still can."

"Heard that, Yome," Hotaru said coolly.

I grinned at their exchange and picked up Hotaru's coffee, hurrying with it over to her table. I set it down in front of her. "Are you sure you don't want to order anything? Muffin? Bagel? Fruit?"

"Nothing."

"All right. Give me a holler if you change your mind!"

Daichi had turned around in his seat and was watching me with Hotaru. When I returned to the counter, he was chuckling. "Looks like she's impressed with the service. Maybe your cheerfulness will rub off on her, Mik."

"Doubt it," Koko muttered. "She's a true Ice Queen."

The door opened again and Koko waved over my head. I turned and saw Ruka, who waved at me also before turning to Hotaru. Seeing her, his smile grew to take over his entire face, and this warmth came to his eyes that made me melt into a pool of jealousy. What I wouldn't give to have a guy look at me like that.

Snapping myself out of it, I grabbed the menu Hotaru hadn't taken and hurried over to their table. "Hello! Can I get you something to drink to start off?"

He took the menu from me, smiling his thanks. "Coffee. Cream and sugar."

"Sure thing!" As I was heading back to the counter, the door dinged open again. I turned around in mid-stride, already calling, "I'll be right with you!"

Three men stood in the doorway. One was dressed exceptionally well, in black dress pants and a button up faded blue shirt. He wore white sunglasses, which contrasted strongly against his mess of black hair. The two on either side of him were wearing jeans and T-shirts, and had tattoos all up their arms. One of them I recognized from the alley when I'd met Yuu and Natsume. Reo, I think Yuu called him.

Koko cursed. "Mikan, come over here. Mikan, now." When I still didn't move, Daichi got off his stool and grabbed my arm, wheeling me behind the counter. Koko pushed past me, at the same time that Ruka stood up and turned, and the entire coffee shop fell silent.

"Persona," Ruka said calmly. "Natsume's not here."

The man with the sunglasses, Persona, spread his hands out gracefully. "Why, Ruka, who says I'm not here for a cup of coffee?"

"You're never here for a cup of coffee," Koko said.

Knowing that this man was Persona, and after everything that Yuu had told me about him, I had to bite my tongue to keep a lot of vile, un-Mikan-like words from escaping my lips. This man was a monster. I wished I could tell him that.

"Natsume won me a race last night and I haven't seen him to give me my cash," Persona went on. "I was merely hoping you'd seen him."

I didn't like the way he talked. Sure, his tone was cool like Hotaru's, but Hotaru's didn't have the same note of deadliness to it. Hotaru didn't actively intend for people to be afraid of her. This guy did, and it was working.

Persona's gaze slid to me. "Looks like you've hired someone new."

I glanced uneasily at Reo, saw him smirk, and watched him warily as he leaned in to whisper something to Persona. Persona's lips curved in amusement, and he would have walked a few steps closer if Ruka hadn't stepped aside and blocked his way.

"You know Natsume, doll?"

Daichi snorted. "She doesn't like him much."

"Persona." Hotaru, who'd been daintily sipping her coffee, looked up. "You're bad for business."

He chuckled. "Hotaru, on a business level, I'm sure you can understand why I need to find and speak to Natsume."

"He'll show up," Ruka says. "Whether he's late or not, you know Natsume will always show up." He said it with such fierce protectiveness, that I had to wonder what he and Natsume had been through that made him speak like a brother rather than a friend.

Persona seemed to consider this. "I never questioned Natsume's loyalty. I never have to." He turned on his heel, his coat flapping open so gracefully you'd think it was ribbon. "No matter. He'll show up. Stay out of trouble, Mikan."

Before I could even register that he'd called me by my name, Persona and his sidekicks were out the door and climbing into some fancy sports car. My jaw remained unhinged as I stared out the window until the car had swung around a corner and out of sight. Then, pulling myself together, I propped my hands on my hips and scowled at the door.

"How _rude_. Just barging in here like he owns the place. Unbelievable. That man is a monster and I don't have _any_ respect for him!"

"Mikan, honey, no one here does," Daichi said.

Hotaru was watching me in amusement. "Ruka ordered coffee. I'm sure he'd like it now."

I shook my head, clearing away my bad attitude and nodding in determination, before skirting around the counter to pour Ruka's coffee.

"Mikan, I'm dismissing you," Koko said, awfully cheery considering just moments ago his frown lines had been prominent. "You can take the rest of the day off."

My shoulders fell. "What? Why? Did I do something wrong? I promise I'll-"

He laughed. "Mikan. You didn't do anything wrong. I just think you've worked hard enough and I want to give you a break."

"It's been…three hours," I said skeptically with a glance at the clock.

"He doesn't want you involved in any of that, idiot," Hotaru said from her table. "Take the hint and leave before he fires you. Or before I fire you for getting on my nerves."

I sighed. "All right. _Fine. _I grabbed Ruka's coffee mug and a plate of cream and sugar and sulked on my way over to the table. "This Natsume character sure causes a lot of trouble around this place. How come you let him stick around? He's just a big jerk anyway."

Ruka looked up, his blue eyes sad. "Natsume's far more than a big jerk, Mikan."

"Judgemental," Hotaru scoffed.

I opened my mouth to object, and then realized that I _was _being judgemental. Groaning, I dropped my forehead to my hand, pinching my eyes shut. "Ugh. I'm so rude." I whirled around, ripping off my apron. "I need to apologize to him. Maybe I should stay until he gets here."

Daichi's rumbling laughter stopped my rant. "Hotaru's right. You should get out of here before she fires you. I don't think Natsume's too heartbroken over it."

I sighed. After what Yuu told me, it bothered me more than I was willing to admit that I'd jumped to conclusions about him. At that moment, I felt the flare of determination, and knew that I wouldn't stop until I figured out just what made these people believe Natsume wasn't as bad as I thought he was. Maybe I didn't entirely appreciate him physically assaulting Yuu, but I really didn't know the whole story and until I did – if I ever did – then I had no right to call Natsume a jerk.

Even though I was 99.9% sure that he was one.

* * *

><p>I went back to Yuu's place and used his computer to continue to look up places I could rent from. It was by total chance, when I accidentally clicked on an ad and then pressed the 'back' button too many times and then proceeded to click the wrong link off the search engine, but I eventually ended up staring at the pictures of a one bedroom apartment, smaller than Yuu's, for a mere five hundred dollars a month, including utilities.<p>

In order to save myself from disappointment, in case it really _was _too good to be true, I didn't get my hopes up while I picked up my cell phone and dialled the number on the website. I got an answering machine, so I left a message and left the computer feeling unsatisfied and a little bit disheartened.

I'd done my laundry after my bath, for the sole purpose that my work uniform needed to be clean. Slipping me feet into my heels was the worst feeling in the world when the pain still lingered from last night's shift, and I elected to bring my sandals to wear on my break.

Yuu didn't come home at all between my jobs, so I left him a note saying I'd be done at midnight and that I'd walk myself home. I wondered where he was for a brief moment, and then decided that it was a big enough deal that he was letting me stay in his apartment when he barely knew me; I didn't need to go asking questions.

Anna and Nonoko weren't at the bar yet. They mostly worked the seven until closing shift, according to the schedule. Instead, I was working with Chihiro, one of the bartenders from last night plus a new one, and two other waitresses, Luna and Wakako. I felt like Luna didn't like me much, and Wakako was even more cheerful that I was, which scared me a little bit.

"Mikan! Anna and Nonoko were very impressed with your work yesterday!" Chihiro praised over the music that I still hadn't gotten used to. Somehow, the bass vibrating my entire insides through the floor just wasn't appealing to me. "I just wanted to thank you. You were right when you said I'd be glad I hired you!"

I grinned. "Thanks!"

That comment put me in such a splendid mood that I served everyone with such a good attitude that I was doing fairly well on tips. It made it easier to forget about my aching feet and the fact that I _needed _to find my own place to live by the end of the week or I feared I would never get out of Yuu's place.

On my break, I checked my phone for messages, but no one had called back about the apartment. That only made it hard to relax, and the whole time I was trying to read my book, I kept glancing at my phone on the table, willing it to vibrate. It never did.

By then Anna and Nonoko had come in to join the crew for the dinner time rush. They greeted me like they'd known me their whole life, which gave me the first ounce of relief that I was actually making friends here.

It was around eleven o'clock when I saw Wakako make a beeline for the bar, where Luna was grabbing a tray of drinks from the bartenders. She pointed to the door, and Luna followed her gaze before this catlike smirk came onto her lips, like a cougar on the prowl. I didn't even want to know what she was looking at; I felt sorry for whoever it was, though.

"Hi, I'm Mikan! What can I get for you guys?" I said to the table that had just sat down.

It was a table of four guys, all of which stared longer than necessary at the exposed part of my chest and legs. Since that had happened too many times to count already, I paid them no mind and smiled earnestly while they ordered.

So the feeling like I was seriously unprotected from perverted eyes was a little uncomfortable, but overall the job wasn't half bad.

I went around the counter to fill the orders. Wakako was looking over my shoulder, the same smirk that Luna had worn tugging on her glossed lips. Out of involuntary reaction, I glanced over my shoulder, did a double take, and then felt my own lips smile, although mine was more out of gladness than…creepiness.

"Natsume!" I exclaimed.

He looked up, his eyes guarded and giving little away. I thought maybe he seemed surprised to see me, but then it faded and there was nothing that I could read from his face.

"What?"

I leaned across the counter. He was drinking a beer, but I wasn't at a stage in my career here that I could tell what kind just by smelling it. It all smelled the same to me, and it all smelled gross.

"There were some guys looking for you at the coffee shop today," I stated. "They looked pretty intense."

He stared blankly back at me, with clearly no intention of granting me with an answer. Sighing at his stubborn façade, I pushed myself up off the counter and grabbed the drinks the bartender had assembled for me, piling them onto a tray.

"Did they find you? They were saying something about a race. What do you race? Horses? Dogs?"

His smirk was slightly condescending. "Cars."

"Oh. Isn't that dangerous?"

The look he gave me was one of disbelief. At what, I wasn't sure. Instead of answering me, he rolled his eyes and took a drink of his beer.

"You know you look like a loner, right? I'm not saying that you are, because you like to beat up people with your friends. I was curious about that. What was that all about? Money? I think it was about money."

He looked over his shoulder. "Don't you have tables to wait?"

"You're right. I do. I'll be right back." Picking up my tray, I took the drinks to the table of guys, backing away before the one closest to me could get his hands anywhere near my body, and told them to give me a holler if they needed anything else. When I turned around, I turned right into Nonoko.

I squealed in surprise, but she caught my arm before I could fall off my heels. She was grinning like a madwoman. "You know Natsume Hyuuga?"

"How does everyone else know him?" I asked in amazement. "Is he famous or something?"

She shook her head. "No. He comes in here a lot though. And he's _hot_. What were you talking about?"

"I'm trying to figure out if he's as big as a jerk as I think he is."

"He's a bad ass tough guy. Of course he's a jerk."

"That's what I thought, too, but I've heard differently. Excuse me." I brushed past her, took the orders of another table that called me over, and then hurried to the bar, relieved to see Natsume hadn't moved. But he had acquired company. Luna was where I had been, leaning over the counter and batting her eyelashes like this was some kind of movie.

He looked like he wanted to get up and leave, but proper etiquette made him stay. That was my first clue that he wasn't _that _big of a jerk. His gaze swung to mine as I passed, and I looked away before he could think I was staring at him. Because I wasn't. I was just curious.

"Hey."

I looked towards the voice, smiling at the young man in the suit that was leaning on the counter smiling back at me. He had fair hair and straight teeth and his suit looked expensive.

"Hello!" I chirped enthusiastically. "What can I get for ya?"

"Your number?"

Taken off guard, I blinked, and then laughed. "I'm sorry. That's against the rules."

His smile didn't falter. He had a glint to his eye like he was a predator and I was his prey, and I was pretty sure I didn't like the look at all. "When's your shift done?"

"Hey. Little girl."

I glanced over at Natsume. Luna had gone, and he was motioning to his empty glass. I smiled at the man once more, said, "Excuse me one moment," and then took the two steps to where Natsume was. "What were you drinking? Personally, you look more like a Jack Daniel's kind of guy. Hard liquor, you know?"

He had his cell phone out and was scrolling through something. "Guiness," he said, as if I hadn't ask anything else at all.

I hesitated in grabbing the tap. "Are you driving?"

He looked up from his phone. "Do you ask all of your customers if they're driving?"

"No. I don't _know _all of my customers, and you're here alone, so I have to check. You don't have a designated driver present."

"You don't know me."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's not get all brooding and emotional. So you're not driving?"

"I'm paying, so you're giving me the drink regardless."

"But if you get in a car crash I would feel awful for serving this drink to you. I'd never get over it. I'd probably become a nun and-"

"If I was driving, two beers wouldn't put me over the legal limit," he said impatiently.

Sighing in defeat, I filled the glass and slid it across the counter to him. "Ruka said you're not as much of a jerk as I think you are."

He arched an eyebrow. "You were talking about me, little girl?"

I scowled at him, grateful for the dim lighting so he couldn't see my blush. "It's kind of hard not to when these scary looking guys come in looking for you-"

"That's why Koko didn't want to hire you. You brought this on yourself by being stubborn and annoying."

"You're impossible."

"Mikan!" Anna called from across the counter behind me. "Running to the bathroom! Watch my section?"

I glanced at the clock and gave her a thumbs up, and then turned back to Natsume, but he was looking over his shoulder towards the door. I followed his gaze, but couldn't see anyone.

He turned back to me. "Why are you still standing there?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm pretty certain you're as much of a jerk as I thought." I pushed myself off the counter, grabbing the tray the bartender was putting the last drink on. I wished Narumi was working tonight; his humour would always be appreciated on long days like today and every other day was going to be.

I took the drinks to the table, and when I got back, there was another man sitting beside Natsume. Reo, I realized, and made an effort to stay away from the bar as much as possible, and when I had to go back there, I didn't make eye contact and acted like Natsume and his company were just two flies on a wall. Luna and Wakako were a completely different story. They didn't even try to make their staring subtle.

I wondered what they were talking about. I guessed it was about cars, and since I couldn't imagine grown men placing money on toy cars, I had to assume that he raced real cars. As in, he drove them. At insane speeds. Or maybe they were talking about drugs, because I was sure Yuu had said something about that too.

Suddenly, my curiosity was overwhelming.

I couldn't very well flat out ask them what they were talking about; that would either be creepy or incredibly intrusive. As I was debating how to take action, Anna came back from the bathroom, pointed at the clock, and made a motion for me to skedaddle. She looked like she wanted to ask me about Natsume, because she gazed at him longingly and looked about to start drooling, but she was on the other side of the counter and already had a tray full of drinks.

I disappeared into the break room to grab my cell phone and flip flops from the cupboard we kept our stuff in, and then hurried towards the door, poking my head out just in time to see Natsume and Reo stand up. Natsume left a bill on the counter – a measly tip, not at all to my surprise – and both headed for the doors.

"Bye Mikan!" Anna called when I passed her, and Nonoko called the same when I was close enough to her. She'd seen Natsume and Reo leave ahead of me, and wiggled her eyebrows at me. I waved her off dismissively.

Outside, the air was cool from the cloudy day. The sky was black. Streetlights shone down on the crowded street. I hurried past smokers, ignoring the whistles, and got about ten steps in the direction I'd seen Reo and Natsume turn before I remembered that my feet were aching. Hopping on one foot, I pulled my heels off and switched them for my flip flops.

Without a coat, goosebumps rose on my arms and forced me to wrap my arms around myself. I walked a little faster, hoping the movement would warm me up. When it didn't I sufficed with shivering and walked onward, always far enough behind Natsume and Reo that they wouldn't suspect me of following them, but close enough that I could see where they were going.

I didn't usually do this. Stalking wasn't really something I made a habit of. But I was curious about Natsume and when I got curious, it was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that kept me up at night and made it hard to focus on anything else. Natsume interested me. That was the bottom line.

And it wasn't because he looked like a model. No, it had nothing to do with that. What interested me was that he seemed to have two personalities, because I was certain he was one thing when people who had known him longer swore he was the opposite. And I wanted to know what Yuu was talking about. About racing cars. That just seemed a little too much like the movies.

I rounded the last corner I'd seen Reo and Natsume turn down, and found myself looking up a big building with a huge garage door. The big lettering above the door read _Nogi's Autobody Shop. _So it was a car garage.

Looking up and down the empty street, the eerie silence made me catch my breath. Nervously, I looked back at the shop, and then crossed the road over to it and stopped in front of the entrance. Just as I was raising my fist to knock, I heard the rumble of a car's engine and the garage door began opening.

Jumping back in surprise, I watched as one car raced out, ripping onto the pavement at an unsafe speed, and disappearing around a corner. When I saw the driver of the next car starting to do the same, I jumped out in front of it. The tires squealed with rapid acceleration, and then the brakes screeched with sudden pressure. The bumper of the car knocked into my knees, not hard enough to make me stumble.

I pointed at the driver. "You said you weren't driving!"

Natsume did not look pleased to see me. Through the open window, I heard him say, "Get out of the way, little girl."

"No! You were drinking!"

"And I said it wasn't enough to put me over the legal limit. Move." To reinforce the authority in his tone, he revved the engine of the lime green sports car. Or race car.

Gritting my teeth in determination, I slammed my hands down on the hood of the car. "No."

He inched the car forward, knocking into my knees again and making me wobble. "I have somewhere to be, and you're in the way."

"I'm not moving. I have a question for you anyway. What are you involved in all of this when you don't want to be?"

"Who said I don't want to be? I'll run you over if you don't move in the next ten seconds."

"Yuu. Yuu said it. He says you're a good guy, which I don't really agree with at this point, but I'm curious about you-" My words died into a squeal as he inched the car forward again, engine revving, and knocked me almost hard enough to make me fall over. Scowling, I said, "Would you stop that?"

"Get out of the way." Gone was the tone of indifference. Now, I heard a scary sort of anger that had me shivering for a whole other reason other than the cold.

Behind me, I heard the chorus of engines and the collective squeal of tires. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw five or six more cars drift expertly around the corner that the other car from the garage had gone around. I heard Natsume curse, and barely had time to react before he threw his car into reverse, then back into drive, and went to drive around me.

I reached for the door handle as he passed, expecting there to be one. Finding that there wasn't one, I lunged for the open window with a shout, doing a face dive into the hard leather passenger seat.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded.

My legs were still out the window, and judging by the pressure of the wind on them, I figured we were going insanely fast. Half-screaming, half-grunting, I pulled myself the rest of the way in and flipped myself around. When I saw how fast we were moving through the front windshield, I felt my stomach drop to my toes and my heart lodge in my throat.

"Oh, my God, oh, my God, we're going to die."

"I asked you what the fuck you think you're doing."

"Stop swearing at me. I just wanted you to answer my question, and you really gave me no choice. And on top of that, _you should not be driving_."

"Put your seatbelt on." The anger had simmered down; now he was just annoyed.

I reached for where the seatbelt was supposed to be, and found instead a harness of some sort. "What is this?"

"A seatbelt."

The minute he turned the first corner, I understood the harness. Without it, I was pressed so hard against the door that my upper body ended up hanging out the window. I smelled burning rubber from the tires skidding on the pavement, and all at once I dropped my high heels and cell phone into my lap and managed to get myself into the harness.

"You stupid girl," Natsume muttered, eyes focused solely on the road. He had one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the stick shift between the passenger and driver seats.

"Is this legal?" I asked. "I don't have a criminal record and I don't intend to get one. Natsume, that's a corner. You have to turn. Natsume, Natsume, _Natsume!_"

I grabbed the handle above the window on my right and put my feet up on the dashboard, digging my free hand into the seat as his hand left the stick shift, fell to the emergency brake, pulled it, and we went sliding around the corner. When he pulled himself out of the turn, I was hyperventilating and he was trying not to smirk.

"Okay, so I shouldn't have jumped in your car, and your judgement doesn't seem to be impaired by your consumption of alcohol, but _is this legal_?"

"No."

"Oh, my God. I'm a criminal."

"I told you to move."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I'm trying to figure out your multiple personalities and this seemed like the best way to do it. Where are we going?"

"To a race."

"Oh, no. This is awful. We're going to get caught." _The police are going to have to contact my parents, I'm going to get sent home, or Yuka will find out where I am…No, I'm eighteen. They wouldn't have to contact anyone. _With that thought in mind, it was a little bit easier to relax in my seat until Natsume took the next corner.

"Koko should have known better than to hire a naïve idiot like you."

"Hey! You don't have to insult me. I'm not naïve."

He looked over at me, his red eyes so captivating that my mouth stopped working. "You ran away from home, thinking that if you came here you'd find a job and a place to live and everything would be fine. You're naïve if you thought you could come here and everything would work out like it does in the movies."

I snapped my mouth shut, my smile gone. "I'm living with my aunt."

"You ran away, and you were sleeping under a tree until someone took you in."

"How do you even know all of this?" I demanded. "Who says I ran away? Who says I don't know what I'm doing?"

"I do. You have a lost-puppy look. You don't have a clue as to what the fuck you're doing here, and to distract yourself, you've resorted to being annoying and delving into other people's business."

I snorted. "You're the one delving into my business."

"You're involved in my business, which makes your business my business."

"I'm not involved with anything, jackass."

He turned another corner, and then it was a straight shot towards the lights of the party down the street, where dozens of other cars were lining up with throngs of people on either side of the street, shouting and cheering and most of them with alcohol in their hands.

"You are now."

* * *

><p>AN: How many of you are impressed with my fast updates? Hope this is keeping you all enthralled as much as it is me! I want to thank you all for your reviews, they are so inspiring! I can't tell you how glad I am that a lot of you appreciate my different approach at a plot, and my way of telling this story! It means a lot to me!

About the chapter:

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	6. The Places Where You Might Have Turned

No, I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>The car came to a slow stop as he downshifted, the engine grumbling each time he let out the clutch. We stopped next to a sleek black car whose driver had so much muscle it looked like he didn't have a neck, and who had this creepy Cheshire cat grin that made me want to hide my face.<p>

"Who's the new muse, Natsume?"

Natsume gave the man a sidelong glance, and then turned to look back out the windshield without saying anything.

"Hey, Natsume," the man called again. "How 'bout if I win, I get the girl?"

"Hey!" I objected.

"I win, then I get your car," Natsume returned, so mildly it was like they were speaking about what time they were going to work the next day.

The man hesitated, and then looked at me again and the grin came back, revving the engine of his car. "This thing's got juice. You're mine, bitch."

"Excuse me," I growled, folding my arms over my chest. "That was rude."

Natsume snorted derisively. "You're willing to bet your new car on a night with this small-chested idiot?"

"A new car with enough juice to beat yours and Persona's ass. Can't wait to see what he does to you when I cross the finish line first." The man's eyes fell on me. "And I'll take my chances."

"Natsume," I said sharply.

A girl in a skirt shorter than mine and a midriff top made her way out to the starting line. She walked like she owned the place and it took me a minute to realize that it was Luna from work at the bar, with a different top and her skirt pulled up further than it had been at work. With a sultry grin, she reached up the back of her shirt.

"See you at the finish line, sweetheart," the guy in the car next to us said.

Natsume revved the engine of his car, his face so composed I wasn't sure if I should be comforted or scared. "I never lose." If it was meant to reassure me, somehow it worked.

Luna held a chequered flag in her hand. She raised it high in the air so that her top rode up and her skirt rode down, exposing her hip bones and getting a couple cat calls from somewhere. Smirking at the attention, she brought the flag down, and Natsume floored it.

"I haven't even had the chance to get married!" I wailed.

"Shut up. This is your own fault."

"How can you talk that calm when you're driving this fast?"

He smirked. "This isn't fast."

I swallowed thickly, watching the other cars coming up awfully fast as Natsume skilfully soared around them, inching his way up from the back of the pack to second from the front, with the creeper in the black car right next to him.

"What kind of race is this?" I asked, even though I was scared to hear the answer. I'd seen the movies. I knew that there were drag races, drifting races, and circuits, to name a few. I figured a drag race would be the shortest, and the shorter the better.

"Circuit," he answered.

"The cops are so going to catch us."

His eyes flickered down to his speedometer. "They won't try to catch us if we're going over one hundred sixty miles an hour."

"A hundred and sixty miles an hour?" I shrieked, leaning over the stick shift to see the needle of the speedometer creeping up and up. "I'm so dead. I don't think this was worth the curiosity. I shouldn't have done this. Maybe you should just pull over and let me out."

"If I pull over, I'll lose the race, and Hayate will come looking for you thinking he has full rights to your body."

I gripped my seat with both hands, watching the approaching turn while my stomach felt like it was turning upside down. "I don't understand how you're talking so calmly. You're approaching this corner awfully _faaaaaaaaaaast!_" He had pulled the emergency brake, sending his car expertly skidding around the corner and forcing me to forget how to move my mouth and scream out the 'a' sound.

"_Continue five point five miles and then turn left."_

For the first time, my attention was drawn to the GPS unit installed into the dashboard of the car above the radio. It had a map of this part of the city, with the route I supposed Natsume was supposed to take outlined in red. At this speed, it wouldn't be long until we got back to where we started.

I didn't know the city well enough to know how busy the streets we were going to be on in seconds were going to be, but at this hour, I thought that it might be possible that traffic would be light. Unfortunately, since so far most of the streets I'd been on here had been busy, the one Natsume turned onto, now third behind two other cars, was crowded with traffic, despite the hour.

"Oh, _crap_." I covered my face with my hands, unable to watch the road as it swerved with each time Natsume manoeuvred the car around traffic. I didn't want to hear the blaring honks of traffic he passed either, but my hands were plastered to my face so tightly I couldn't take them off.

My hair whipped around my shoulders and neck from the air coming in through the open windows. I wasn't cold anymore, my breathing so heavy it must be warming up my entire body.

"Don't look at the road," Natsume said.

"I'm not!" I shrieked. "My eyes are securely closed."

"That's just going to make it worse."

Very slowly, I peeled my fingers off my face one by one and opened my eyes. I looked out my window, saw Hayate grin at me again before his car suddenly disappeared, ripping in front of Natsume and disappearing around the next corner.

"_Turn left in two hundred meters. Turn left."_

I whipped my gaze around to Natsume, turning my whole body from behind the harness. As he turned the corner, my back pressed against the door, most of my hair flew out the window, and I scrambled to pull it over my shoulder. I took comfort from Natsume's calmness, the way he drove with one hand with such ease and controlled the gears like he'd been doing this his whole life.

"You're not going to let him win, are you?" I asked when I caught my breath.

"I already told you I never lose. I want that car."

"But he's ahead of us."

He down shifted, pulled the brake, skidded around the next corner, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian that had been crossing the street. I felt the need to stick my head out the window and apologize, but we were around the next corner before I could even peel myself off my seat. At least it wasn't so nauseating anymore.

"_Continue six miles to destination."_

I looked down at the GPS, saw that this was the final stretch, and then finally looked at the road to gauge the distance between us and the first place car, or at least Hayate's car. Before I could open my mouth to tell him I thought it was hopeless, he reached across the dashboard and pressed the hazard light button, which turned out to be more hazardous that it should have been. All at once, the car shot forward with a burst of speed from what I could only guess was turbo, like on the video games. He put both hands on the wheel and steered expertly around the four cars that were between us and the finish line.

Natsume sailed across the line a whole car length in front of the next car, pulled the brake, and did a 180 degree turn, slowing the car to almost a stop.

"Okay," I breathed, reaching for the seatbelt. "I think I'll walk home."

He ignored me, coasting up to the cheering crowd and rest of the racers and reaching his hand out the window. Luna was the one that strutted over and leaned down the window, flashing so much cleavage she might as well just be topless. Her smile was sly until she saw me in the passenger seat.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

I fumbled with the seatbelt. "Leaving." Goddamn clasp. My hands were shaking too hard to release it.

Natsume held out his hand expectantly. With a half scowl in my direction and a less pronounced smile at Natsume, she reached into her shirt and pulled out a wad of cash. He raised an eyebrow, muttering, "Classy," before dropping the cash in his lap and moving his car past Luna to where Hayate was angrily kicking the tire of his car. "I'll come pick it up tomorrow. If it's not there, you owe me cash." Without waiting for a reply, he turned the car around and drove back the way we'd come at the very beginning.

"You should let me out," I said. "Just as soon as I get this damned thing off."

"You get out of the car before me, and you're going to flash me your panties."

My mouth dropped open. "_Excuse _me?"

He motioned to my skirt, or the exposed skin on my legs. Knowing he noticed made me wish I was wearing pants. But I understood what he was getting at. The only way to get in or out of the car was to climb through the window.

When we got back to the garage, the other car was already there, with Reo standing outside of it. His arms were folded over his chest and his legs were crossed at the ankles, and he wore this scary look of amusement that made me wonder what was so funny. Natsume pulled into the garage, which was filled with shiny cars that looked expensive and fast. When he shut off the engine, my sigh of relief was audible.

"You get out first," I ordered.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the roof of the car through the window and pulled himself in one fluid motion. I, however, was not so graceful. I tried to do the same, but with my high heels and phone in one hand, I just ended up falling backwards out of the window, landing on my shoulder, and rolling backwards onto my knees.

"That defeated the purpose of me getting out of the car first, Polka Dots," Natsume said blandly.

I shot to my feet – my legs felt like jelly – unable to stop the blush from creeping up my neck as I pulled my skirt down as far as it would go, which wasn't far enough to cover nearly as much of my legs as I wanted it to. "Pervert."

Reo pushed himself off his car and strolled over to where I was standing. "What's this, Natsume? Picked up a muse? You'll be disappointing a lot of women."

Natsume tossed the wad of cash at him. "She got me a car. Polka Dots, leave."

"Oh, Natsume, are you going to make her walk? It's cold outside, especially when she's got so little to keep her warm." His eyes raked the length of my body, so much like Hibiki used to look at me that I had to close my eyes against the memories of his eyes on me, always watching me, always waiting until I was alone…

I drew my chin up. "I'll walk." I strode past Reo with as much confidence as I could maintain and stopped when I was next to Natsume, facing the opposite way that he was, shoulders nearly brushing. Without my heels, my head only came to his chin; I had to tilt my head back to look at him. His piercing gaze flickered from Reo to me.

"Please don't tell Koko what you know. Please."

I should have left Natsume alone, forget everything about him. But as I walked out of the open garage door and into the cool night, I thought of the cool look on his face and the way he held himself together like making sure people couldn't see what he was feeling was the most important thing in the world. And until I figured out what it was that was burning him from the inside out, I couldn't leave him alone.

* * *

><p>Yuu was still up when I quietly let myself into his apartment close to two o'clock. He was half asleep on the easy chair next to the couch, the TV playing quietly to fill the silence. When I walked in, he sat up with a start and then scrambled to his feet, clearing his throat like he was embarrassed to be caught so vulnerable.<p>

"The note you left said you were going to be home shortly after midnight. I wasn't sure if you were coming back tonight."

I bit my lip, running my hand through my hair that was knotted from the wind. "Sorry about that. I got…caught up?"

He pulled his glasses off, rubbing sleep out of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Out of curiosity, what were you doing at this time? You don't have to answer. I'm just curious."

I laughed humourlessly. "To satisfy your curiosity, I was being curious. And stupid." I looked up at him guiltily. "He knows I'm living with you for awhile."

He sighed. "Natsume knows everything. Persona keeps tabs on me, which means he'll be keeping tabs on you. I thought you wouldn't interest him, but as Ruka told me today, you keep popping up and you've caught his attention. Mikan, this isn't the sort of thing you should be involved in. It was a bad idea to have you stay here."

I felt my face fall. "Yuu, just a couple more nights. I might have found a place. I'm going to call tomorrow and then I'll be out of your hair. Please. At least tonight."

"I'm not kicking you out. I just think you should make other arrangements. Get out of all of this, you know? Before you're in it for good."

"I'm just a waitress at a truck stop and a bar," I said desperately. "I'm not involved in anything. I'm just trying to make friends and a _life _for myself here. I don't mean to get mixed up in all of this gang business. But I like the friends I've made. I don't want to stop being friends with them just because there's a mean guy with sunglasses who wants his money and will go through weird lengths to get it. I'm not going to stop being friends with you or Koko, or stop working at the truck stop or the bar just because Natsume goes there and his little friends follow him. I'm not going to run away from this."

Yuu studied me in silence for a moment. "Natsume's got a way with girls. I should have known he's grab your attention too. Hook, line, and sinker."

At first, I was sure the hurt was evident on my face because Yuu looked like he regretted what he said. But then I snorted. "I'm not interested in him that way, Yuu. I'm interested in him because of what you and Koko and Ruka have told me. I'm assuming you all went to school together. So you all know Natsume better than I do. And that's why I'm trying to come up with a different first impression of him, but he keeps proving you guys wrong."

Yuu's face softened. "Don't get in too deep, Mikan. Natsume won't be broken. Good night."

I hated how dreary he was. I hated how dreary everyone was. Koko and Ruka and Yuu, they all acted so tense, and the only reason I could come up with as to why was because they were just waiting for something to blow up in their faces. For Natsume to get into trouble he couldn't get out of, or for Persona to come in demanding something they couldn't give.

Either way, everything came back to Persona.

As I got ready for bed and laid down on the couch, I thought of how these people who were becoming my friends would act if Persona wasn't in the picture, and I saw them smiling, and meaning it.

* * *

><p>I stumbled into <em>Yome's Truck Stop and Coffee Shop <em>five minutes before my shift was supposed to start and was surprised to see Hotaru sitting at the counter, sipping from her mug the coffee that was as black as her heart.

"Good morning!" I exclaimed.

Koko looked up, his face grim. Hotaru never turned around, but she spoke to me in that cool voice of hers. "I thought we told you to stay out of this."

I frowned in confusion, walking the rest of the way to the counter and getting a glimpse of several photographs spread out over the surface. Gasping, I leapt forward and grabbed one, staring at it like it was something atrocious. And I suppose it was. Or maybe what horrified me more was that I'd had no idea these pictures were being taken.

They were pictures of Natsume. And me. In his car. Me, looking terrified with my feet on the dashboard and my hand secured to the handle above the window. Natsume, looking – surprise, surprise – collected as ever.

"Who the hell took these?" I demanded, throwing it onto the counter like it was diseased.

"I did," Hotaru said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Imagine my surprise at seeing the annoying waitress from Yome's riding around with Hyuuga when she was specifically told to keep her nose out of his business."

I opened my mouth to retort, and then realized I didn't really have a valid argument. Maybe Natsume interested me. Maybe I wanted to get to know him for a whole different reason than any other girl would want to get to know him. But even if they believed that was the truth, they would think it was petty and a waste of time.

Instead, I looked up at Koko for help and said, "I won him a car?"

Koko, who'd been in the midst of taking a drink of his coffee from the thermos I hadn't seen him without since the day I met him, choked on the liquid and, after a mild coughing fit, managed to say, "What?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "You know what? Don't even worry about it. I'm going to get to work. We're going to forget these pictures existed, and I will not stick my nose into Natsume's business anymore because it seems to be giving me more trouble than satisfaction. Forget curiosity."

Hotaru piled the photographs together and slipped them into a manila envelope. "These could make good profit. I'll keep them on file." She stood up from the stool, tucked the envelope under her arm, and headed for the door before I could ask her who in God's name she was going to sell them to.

Koko was watching me when I snapped my mouth shut and turned to him. "What were you doing with Natsume last night? No, skip that question. I'm more curious as to what you were _wearing_. I didn't think you were that-"

I clapped my hands over my ears. "Stop! Stop right there! I am not a slut. I have a second job at a bar, okay? It's not the classiest job, but it pays good and I need that right now. That's just the uniform. I swear."

"Why the hell do you need two jobs?"

"School!" I exclaimed without thinking. "It's expensive, you know!"

"Okay, okay. You don't have to get so defensive. But isn't your aunt helping pay? Your parents?"

I shook my head. "None of my family is in a financial state to send me to school, so I will be sending myself to school. No big deal. Really. I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can, Mikan, but you should have told me. I can give you different hours if you need. I don't want you coming here on three hours or sleep and then being up for the rest of the day. I'll put Sumire on the morning shift and give you the afternoon shift."

I held up my finger. "Ah, but you won't, because that would mean I would be here when Natsume is here, and you've made it very clear that you don't want that, _dad_."

He gave me a pointed look. "Ha-ha, very funny. I watch out for my employees. Persona hasn't shown any interest in Sumire so I don't have to worry about you. But he looks at you like you're something to eat. What were you doing with Natsume last night?"

I sighed. "You know, I don't really get it. You guys keep saying that he's not as much of a jerk as I think he is, but then when I'm near him you freak out like he's the devil or something. What's _up _with that? That's all I was trying to figure out. What makes you think he's not as bad as I think he is? So far, though, he's still as bad as I think he is."

"It's not _him _I don't want you to be around," he said under his breath. "Mikan, you're a charming girl. That's why I hired you. You charmed Daichi and you charmed me and I think even Hotaru has taken a liking to you. You're refreshing, and I actually admire the fact that you're not Natsume's biggest fan. He needs someone to deflate his ego. But Persona…he's a different story. And Persona is everywhere Natsume is and the further you stay from Natsume the further you'll be from Persona."

"Koko, I'm a girl. I'm a girl with no money and no talent that would be of any use to him. What could he possibly want with me?"

He sighed, and then smiled. "Let's not worry about it. Get to work! Let's go! Table three needs to be cleaned! We'll be getting the morning rush soon."

The morning rush did bring with it a ton of customers. So far, for the time I'd been working here, it had been the only period of my shift that I wished we had one more person working. But I held my own and took everyone's order, brought everyone's food, poured everyone's coffee, and didn't drop or spill a thing.

That is, until Natsume walked in.

I'd been in the midst of pouring a cup of coffee, and had looked up to call a greeting to the customer who just walked in, only to see his mess of raven hair and his stupid calm look and the face that belonged on the cover of a magazine. Or on a stripper pole. Since that was a more degrading image, I was going to go with the stripper pole.

He was with a young boy, maybe seven or eight. He had a look of nonchalance scarily similar to Natsume's, with a mop of brown hair that looked almost grey. Despite the scowl that I wanted to slap off Natsume, this boy made it look sort of cute. And when I saw that he was holding Natsume's hand, I may have gained another ounce – an _ounce, _that is all – of respect for him.

Not nearly enough to sacrifice my job.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed when he strode up to an empty seat at the counter, looking around for Koko and wiping up the coffee I'd spilt all over my hand and the counter at his appearance. Koko was preoccupied at the truck stop part of the store ringing a customer through. "Koko's going to cut my shift short." I looked at the clock. Only ten. "Leave and come back in an hour like you always do!"

"Your customer service is sorely unimpressive."

"Well, _excuse me _if I'm a little unhappy to see you when I'm in a situation where I need the money." My face paled at the realization that this was the guy who knew. "Oh, no. You're not here to tell Koko, are you? Please, please, _please _don't tell Koko! He'll fire me! Or he'll get all sympathetic. And I don't need that right now."

"Muffin."

The voice of the little boy surprised me into silence. I looked down at him, as if I hadn't expected him to be able to speak, and then smiled. "You want a muffin? Sure! What kind?"

The little boy looked up at Natsume, as if for permission, and although he didn't nod or say anything, the little boy looked back at me and said, "Chocolate chip."

I reached under the counter with a napkin and pulled out a chocolate chip muffin, placed it on a plate, and slid it across the counter to the little boy, refusing to let his cuteness take away any of my firmness on having Natsume leave.

"Look," I said. "I just told Koko that I would stop being nosy and completely forget about my curiosity about you. That was provided I didn't have to run into you again. You're supposed to be here at noon."

He jabbed his thumb at the little boy. "The kid wanted breakfast now."

I looked towards the cash desk at the same time that Koko looked up. He saw Natsume, glanced at the clock, and then rolled his eyes, stepping around the desk and making his way back over to the counter.

"Great. I'm so getting kicked out of here." I started to scoot around the counter and serve the customer whose coffee I'd been pouring, but Natsume stopped me with that cool, collected voice of this.

"I'll have a coffee."

"I'm sure Koko would _love _to get that for you."

"If I complain about your customer service, Koko will have a better chance of firing you than by me simply being here, or telling him about your…living situation."

I gritted my teeth, slammed the mug I'd been carrying down on the counter, and picked up a clean one and the coffee pot. "Let me guess. You take it black." Black coffee would suit him better than it would suit Hotaru.

"Sugar."

I poured the mug, slid it to him, and then tossed a handful of sugar packets onto the counter. He smirked, but it was closer to a smile this time and I couldn't help but notice how much better he looked when he was smiling.

"Natsume. You're here early."

"You say that like it's a problem."

I wanted to leave, but at the same time I wanted to see if Natsume was going to bust me. I pretended to wipe up an imaginary mess while averting my gaze elsewhere so it didn't look like I was listening.

"Nothing personal, buddy," Koko said with a nervous laugh. "Just a little wary about Mikan, you know? I probably shouldn't have hired her, but she insisted and Daichi didn't give me much of a choice. I didn't expect her to get involved with you to quickly, and I'm just-"

"I've already seen Persona today. He won't stop by again."

"Mikan, I know you're listening."

I looked up, pretending to be surprised my name was called, but at Koko's steady stare, I couldn't keep it up and I gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry. I just wanted to hear if you gave him the same reason you gave me. But seriously Koko, I can take care of myself."

Natsume's eyes slid to me knowingly, and in case he did tell Koko that I was lying about being here with my aunt, I slipped away to bring the customer her coffee. Koko didn't call for me, didn't look surprised, and didn't shoot me any unnecessary glares. With all my heart, I hoped that meant Natsume had kept his mouth shut.

"Mikan, come here," Koko eventually called, and while my heart hammered in my chest, I studied his face. He was smiling again, like he had been on the first day I'd met him, cheerfully careless. It was much better to see him like that, rather than with that worried frown consistently present.

Suspicious, I glanced at Natsume, but he was occupying himself with taking a drink of his coffee and the little boy next to him was completely focused on his muffin. "What?" I asked Koko.

"Hang out back here for a bit. You've been doing a lot of running around this morning. I think you're good for business. It hasn't been this busy since…well, it never has. Customers are now familiar with you, and half of them aren't even truckers. But do you know what the best part is? Of the ones that are truckers, about nine tenths of them are fond of you because you make them think of their daughters. Turns out I didn't have to worry so much about you."

"I hate to say I told you so." I pointed at Natsume, my voice dry when I spoke again. "What about him? Thought I wasn't allowed to associate with him."

He touched his chin, his lips fighting a smile. "You don't like people telling you who you're allowed to talk to, do you?"

Since Yuka had made a habit of scaring away any friends I had and then eventually deciding which ones would be good for me and which ones I should ditch before I stopped trying to make friends altogether because of her, "No."

"Well, Natsume has assured me that Persona has no use for a naïve, idiotic useless little girl like you." He caught my offended look and added, "His words, not mine. And I did realize that it's entirely up to you who you associate with. And I know Ruka will agree. If you get into trouble, Natsume will help you out."

"No, I won't."

I gave him a dry look before turning back to Koko. "I'm not going to get into trouble. The only one who's in any trouble here," I turned back to Natsume, propping my elbows up on the counter and cradling my chin in the palm of my hand, "is you. You race cars. For money. I think that's illegal. No, that's definitely illegal."

"I thought you agreed to stay out of my business."

"All right, I'll leave you two to it," Koko said, picking up a few menus for the couple with two children that had just walked in. "Mikan, stay on top of the coffee orders. Yome's coffee is the finest…in this area, at least."

I gave him a thumbs up without tearing my gaze from Natsume's frighteningly serious eyes. "I just told Koko that so he'd stop freaking out. I think it's unfair of you to tell me to get out of your business when you're sticking your nose in mine."

"I'm not sticking my nose into anything. You're easy to read."

"How do girls _like _you?" I straightened, catching Koko's gaze and seeing him hold up two fingers. I grabbed two clean mugs and filled each with coffee. "You're the biggest asshole I've met."

"Doesn't sound like you've met a lot of guys to compare me to."

"Just because I'm from a small town and don't have a lot of experience with guys, does _not _mean I can't spot an asshole when I see one. And I'm still ninety nine point nine percent sure that you're one."

"And the other point one percent?"

"I'm open-minded. More coffee?"

He slid his mug forward for me to fill. He didn't stop looking at me, but I wasn't coordinated enough to be able to pour coffee without looking; if I tried it would end up all over him and for some reason I didn't think I wanted to see Natsume mad.

"You hope I'm not as much of an asshole as I'm making you think I am."

I snorted, giving the two mugs to Koko on a tray with a plate of cream and sugar, all neatly arranged. He looked like he wanted to stick around to hear our conversation, but duty called, and he hurried off. "Koko's right. Someone does need to deflate your ego. I hope every asshole I meet isn't as much of an asshole as I think. It's part of being open-minded." His stare was so intense that I had to change the subject before I started to blush again. "So who's the kid? Yours? He looks a little old to be yours, but with the female attention you get, I wouldn't put it past you to impregnate some poor woman and then have her dump him on you. Cute kid. How old are you, anyway?"

The little boy looked up from his muffin, his stare almost as intense as Natsume's, only offset because of his babyish face. "My name is Youichi, hag."

I pursed my lips. "Well, it's clear who you've spent most of your time with. Natsume, you've corrupted a seven year old."

"I'm nine."

"I don't care if you're nine and rude, you're cute." The cooks from the kitchen called out an order and I turned around to grab the plates from the window and put them on a tray for Koko. "So is he yours, Natsume?"

"You're being nosy again," he said under his breath, but then answered, "I'm his legal guardian."

"For the sake of not being nosy, I won't ask any further questions on that subject. So you know Luna? She probably hates me now, you know. I work with her at the bar. But you probably knew that. Was that why you were at the bar? Bet you didn't expect to see me there, huh? I'm not exactly bar material. I wonder-"

"Do you always talk this much? Or are you one of those socially awkward people who talk a lot when they get nervous?"

"Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself. I'm not socially awkward, and you sure as hell don't make me nervous. I talk a lot all the time. And since you're not really the talkative type, someone has to fill the silence."

"So you're always this annoying?"

"Yes."

The plain, impersonalized ringing of a cell phone stopped him before he could say anything. His face remaining perfectly composed, he reached into the pocket of his leather coat and pulled out his phone. "Yeah," he said into it, and then listened to the other speaker while I watched him closely. "Be there in ten."

I glanced at Youichi, who was finished his muffin and looking at Natsume. When I looked back at Natsume, he was sliding a ten dollar bill across the counter to me. "Duty calls?"

"Keep the change." He turned and picked Youchi up off the stool and set him on the ground with such care that my heart fluttered. "If you're lucky, you'll see me around."

I scowled at his retreating figure. "Don't count on it!" But some little, tiny part of me deep, _deep _down sort of wished I would.

* * *

><p>AN: I just thought I'd clear this up right off the bat; Natsume is _not _a stalker. How he knew Mikan was sleeping under a tree will be revealed in a later chapter, but it's nowhere near as complex as you may think! Hope you are all enjoying summer! The weather here in Alberta is beautiful, which is why this update took a little longer. I've been spending my time in the sun!

Let me know what you think! Review, review, review!

Until next chapter!

xo.


	7. The Place Where I Belong

I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>Things calmed down at Yome's shortly after Natsume left. I knew it was just coincidence, because most of the people there were men and I doubted they came in to see Natsume. No, they had to get back to their trucking duties, and so by the end of my shift, I didn't feel so bad leaving Koko alone.<p>

"See you tomorrow, Mik!"

I waved at him, and the moment I was out of the door I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, saw I had no missed calls, and then dialled the number of the person who was renting out their apartment for cheap whose number I had saved into my phone as 'Next Step to New Future'.

"Hello?" a groggy female voice answered.

I felt my heart flutter with hope. "Hi! My name is Mikan Sakura and I saw your advertisement for your apartment that you're renting out for five hundred dollars a month, including utilities and cable, with a coin operated Laundromat downstairs. I'm interested."

"Seriously?" the woman said. "All right. Come by and check it out then."

"Sure!" I said, even though I really didn't care what it looked like as long as it was inhabitable. "What time?"

"Noon."

"I'll be there."

"You have the address?"

I pulled the piece of paper I'd had tucked in my pocket the day before out and studied it, smiling at the recorded address. "Yes. See you at twelve." The moment I hung up the phone, I let out a "Whoop!" of joy and jumped once in the air before sprinting for the nearest bus stop.

* * *

><p>The woman who I'd spoken to on the phone turned out to only be a couple years older than me. Her name was Misaki, and in a way I found her scary. She had a sort of tomboyish air to her, like she was the kind of girl to go around punching guys who pissed her off. But when she talked, she talked like I imagined if I had an older sibling, how their friends would talk to me.<p>

"New in town?" she asked me as we climbed the stairs of the apartment – no elevator.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm working a couple jobs, but I'm going to need to pay for school in September so I wanted to find somewhere cheap to live. How come you're not living here anymore?"

"Moved in with my boyfriend," she said. "We've been dating since tenth grade. It was about time to seal the deal."

Aside from the carpet that looked like it could use a good steam cleaning and the squeaks in the stairs every time I took a step, the hallway leading to my potential new room was in mostly good shape. Hopefully the room would be the same.

"Here we are," Misaki said, stopping outside of the room with the numbers 4527 on the door. She pulled out a key, and while I was holding my breath in anticipation, she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Inside, it was about the size of a large living room. We walked in through the door and were immediately standing in the kitchen, which consisted of mismatched appliances – silver dishwasher, black fridge, white stove – and a chipped counter. The tile of the kitchen looked well-kept, save for a few cracks here and there, and where the tile changed into carpet looked a little rough because it lacked a schluter, which I imagined was a fixable problem. The carpet was a sort of ugly brown that I loved instantly, that covered a whole lot of currently empty space where I would eventually put a bed. The walls were plain white, which I kind of hoped I could eventually change, and I also hoped to do something about the huge hole in the wall on the right side.

Misaki saw me looking at it. "Oh, that's from me. Partied too hard one night and ended up throwing a lamp. No biggie. Just put a picture frame over it or something. Now, the bathroom is a little tricky." She led me behind the half wall that concealed the bed area from the door, and opened another door into the bathroom.

It was only big enough for a bathtub that doubled as a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a counter, but it was perfect. The toilet looked like it might be a little wobbly, and the lid of the tank was off and sitting against the wall, and the showerhead looked like it needed a good soak in some CLR, and there was some soap scum that needed tending too, but otherwise it was in decent condition.

"You have to flush the toilet from in here," Misaki said, pointing at the tank of the toilet. "The shower is a little fluky. Sometimes it doesn't spit out a whole lot of water. It might just be a better idea to have a bath; that all works fine. This bathroom has been there for me a lot through the wild parties. I'm going to miss it and all its quirks."

I could feel my smile stretching impossibly wide over my face. "Five hundred dollars a month?"

She nodded. "It's kind of a shithole. That's why I was surprised you called. When you get a TV in here, cable is included in the price. I don't recommend trying to fix anything on your own; it'd be worth the handyman. Unless you have a boyfriend who's good with his hands. Or I guess if you're a handyman."

"I'll hire one if I need one," I assured her.

"So you'll take it?"

I smiled and offered her my hand. "I'll take it. When can I move in?"

"Tomorrow, same time. Be here at noon with five hundred bucks down payment and the apartment is yours." She took my hand and shook it.

* * *

><p>I took the bus back to Yuu's apartment, although I was certain I would have been able to run back faster with all the pent up happy energy that was accumulating in my muscles. I wanted to jump for joy. Again. I had a place to live. And it was <em>mine. <em>

I wasn't sure if Yuu was going to be home, but I hoped he would be so that I could tell him I'd be off his back in less than twenty four hours. I leapt off the bus and ran two and a half blocks to Yuu's apartment complex, barely stopped to get the key in the lock, and then barrelled up the stairs as fast as my legs would carry me.

Yuu was sitting on the couch where I'd been sleeping. I'd folded all the blankets he'd given me and set them on the arm of the sofa with the pillow on top. He had his legs under him and a book spread out on his lap. He looked up, unsurprised by my loud and sudden interest.

"Guess what?" I exclaimed, running over to the couch and sitting in the seat next to him, angled to face him with my hands on my knees, clenched into fists in attempt to control my excitement. "Guess what, guess what, guess what?"

He smiled at my expression of energy. "What?"

"I found a place to live. It's dirt cheap and it's actually in okay shape. It's going to need some fixer uppers and a few touch ups, but I love it. I'll pay you a hundred bucks for letting me stay here. Is that all right? That's about how much it would have cost for a hotel. I think-"

"Mikan," he said gently. "That's great!" His smile was genuine and friendly and somehow I couldn't regret meeting him, even though the nature in which we'd met was entirely unpleasant. "But you're not paying me anything. We can call it even. You saved my face from being broken by Reo, and I saved you from getting pneumonia. Or getting bugs in your ears from sleeping on the ground."

I shivered at the thought. "Are you sure, though? It's not a big deal. With two jobs I can spare a little. And I have tons saved up. Really, Yuu, I don't mind."

He shook his head, that friendly, I'm-so-happy-for-you smile still in place. "No. Use that hundred dollars to go to a second hand store and get yourself some furniture. I don't think you have any couches or beds stuffed in your backpack, do you?"

"No."

"Then you're going to need some furniture. Tell you what. Come by tomorrow and I'll take you to the best second hand store around. I'll borrow a friend's truck and I can help you carry stuff. How does that sound?"

I clasped my hands together under my chin, aware that there were stars in my eyes. "It sounds wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I threw my arms around him. "I knew we were going to be great friends! I'll come by and visit _all _the time." I stood up, spun around once. "It's all right if I sleep here one more night, right? I don't get the apartment until tomorrow."

"Of course." He stood up. "Have a nap. You're going to burn out on three hours of sleep."

It took me awhile to wind down enough to be able to sleep, but once the blackness did draw me under, I dreamt with a smile on my face.

If only Yuka could see me now.

* * *

><p>I wasn't working the same shift as Luna that night. Apparently Luna never worked until close. She left when I got there, but not after sending me the dirtiest of looks. Narumi saw the exchange, and laughed at the frown on my face.<p>

"Don't worry about her," he said. "She's just jealous because you were talking to Natsume. The kid's a stunner. Even _I _wouldn't mind if he gave me a second glance. She's not forward enough to risk getting turned down, though. She'll get over it."

"Everything comes back to Natsume," I muttered, but I couldn't find it in me to be angry with him or Luna at all, because I had an apartment. I had a place to live. Every time I thought about it during my shift my legs got all wiggly and I felt like I had too much energy and like I could just run a marathon with all my joyful energy. I made even more in tips that night, because I didn't get tired and sluggish in my high heels like I had the last two nights. At midnight, I went on my break, and smiled at the clock, knowing that in twelve hours, I would have my own place.

Anna and Nonoko didn't notice a difference in my mood, which didn't surprise me since it was hard to be more energetic than I usually was. They probably just thought I was getting used to being up so late.

Natsume didn't come in that night – not that I was looking for him – and we had no trouble. By the time we kicked the last person out and closed the bar, I still wasn't feeling the stress of my long day. I said goodbye to Anna and Nonoko and practically pranced down the sidewalk in my flip flops, all the way to Yuu's apartment without any problems.

At three thirty in the morning, I laid down on the couch that would serve as my bed for these last two and a half hours. The smile never vanished.

* * *

><p>That was the morning it hit me. Working from seven at night until three in the morning, and then working at seven the next morning, was not going to work out. I had to get up at six in the morning in order to shower and get out the door. It took a lot of effort to peel my eyes open, even more to roll out of bed, and by the time I was showered, I had to skip breakfast to get out the door. My energy from the day before? Gone. I was the walking definition of exhaustion.<p>

Koko noticed the moment I walked in the door. "All right. You start at eleven from here on out. Sumire can get her ass in here early."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine."

"Mikan, you look like a zombie."

I dropped my phone into the staff belongings cupboard and turned to face him. "I don't really feel like a zombie. Unless zombies are hungry. Because I'm hungry. Can I buy breakfast? Like, a muffin or something? Even just a chocolate milk would get me through the morning."

Koko studied me with this blank look on his face, and then turned to the kitchen. "Taro, scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon."

"Koko, don't fuss. A muffin will be fine."

"Employees get a discount."

I perked up at that, sitting down at the counter. "How much?"

"A hundred percent off. You realize you're sitting in Natsume's seat, don't you?"

I looked around the coffee shop, which was pretty empty save for the skinny man sitting in the window seat reading a paper and drinking coffee. "Doesn't look like he's around. I don't think he'll mind if I sit here while he's not around."

"Was that just chance that you happened to sit there, or do you have some sick obsession with him that you wanted to sit there because you worship anything he touches? Don't look at me like that. Sumire does that. She sits on that seat every time it's empty when she's on her break."

I crinkled my nose. "You're kidding."

He shook his head. "Not."

"Order up," the cook in the back said. Koko turned around, grabbed the plate and a fork and a knife, and slid it across to me. I tried not to drool, looking down at the pile of eggs and bacon and the beautifully buttered toast…

"Thanks, Koko."

"Hopefully it'll make you look less like a zombie, so you don't scare away any customers."

"Is it really that bad?" I asked around a mouthful of eggs. My stomach was grumbling so loud it sounded like a dinosaur. I'm pretty sure Koko heard it, because he looked like he wanted to make me eat faster. "I put makeup on. I thought I did a pretty good job covering up the bags under my eyes. I just needed some food to kick start my energy. I'll be flying around this place by the time people start coming in."

"It's not the bags. It's the way you look, the way you were walking, the way you're sitting, the way you're talking. It just screams, 'tired'. What time did you go to bed at last night?"

"Three thirty." I shovelled another forkful of eggs into my mouth and bit off a piece of toast right after.

"And what time did you get up?" To answer him, I held up six fingers, my mouth far too full to bother trying to speak. "Mikan, you got two and a half hours of sleep. Why didn't you tell me you needed me to change your shift? It's not a big deal. Sumire used to work this shift until I decided that you'd probably be better for it. Personally, she works better in the morning than she does in the afternoon."

"I had a nap yesterday," I said defensively. With everything that was supposed to be going on today, I doubted I was going to get a nap in this afternoon, which I would absolutely regret.

"What time do you work at today at the bar?"

"Three."

"Mikan, that's not enough time."

"It hasn't affected me thus far, I think I'll be fine!" I finished with my plate and slid off the stool. "This conversation is officially over. I get weekends off at the bar, so how 'bout giving me an eight hour shift on Saturday and Sunday?"

"No. I don't need you burning out. You'll get four hour shifts on the weekends, and you'll get the afternoon shift from here on out."

"But I work at three at the bar on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Then starting next week, you get Tuesdays and Thursdays off. I don't need you here seven days a week."

"But-"

"No buts."

"I'm not winning this argument, am I?"

"No."

"Then fine."

* * *

><p>The food did help a great deal. I managed to obtain some of the energy I lacked and was cheerful enough that I still got good tips. And it's not like I would have been bitchy. I just wouldn't have been over-the-top friendly like I usually was. But I held onto that. Daichi barely noticed a difference when he came in.<p>

I told him I was getting moved to the afternoon shift, and at first he was shocked because Koko had been so strict about me associating with Natsume. I told him about what had happened yesterday, that I was no longer attached to Koko's leash, and that I was technically given permission to satisfy my curiosity about Natsume.

By ten o'clock, I was back to the level of excitement I'd had last night, pretty much vibrating on the spot and eager to run around grabbing things off of tables and taking peoples' orders. Koko watched me in amazement, and at eleven, I think he was glad to get rid of me because the look on his face told me I was scaring him.

Daichi assured me that he'd come in around noon whenever he could so he could visit me, and I ran out of the restaurant with a backward wave. My first stop was the bank so that I could take out the money I needed for the down payment. Next? The apartment that was soon to be mine.

Misaki was already there when I ran up, out of breath and sweating under the strong midday sun. This time, she was accompanied by a young man with a baby-face who was taller than she was with a tiny black star tattoo directly beneath his eye. His hair was dark, and in a way he reminded me of Natsume, except this guy was smiling.

"This is Tsubasa," was the first thing Misaki said to me. "I'll keep the introductions brief, though. He's kind of a flirt. I don't want him to freak you out."

Tsubasa chuckled, winding his arm around Misaki's waist. "I can't help it. Hormones make me uncontrollable. But deep down, Misaki, you know I'm always yours." The little grin he paired with his soft voice made his words even cheesier, but it made Misaki fight a smile.

"Deep, _deep _down. You got the cash?"

"Ooh, sounds like we're making a drug deal."

I smiled at him briefly, already digging through my pockets to grab the envelope of cash. I was hopping up and down in place while she counted each bill, and my hand was shaking when I reached out to take the key she offered.

"All right. Five hundred a month, on the twelfth of every month. Do we have an agreement?"

I nodded. "Absolutely! Thank you so much, Misaki! You won't regret this! It was wonderful to meet you, Tsubasa, but I really want to get up there so I can figure out how I'm going to set up the furniture." I clapped my hands together, sighing dreamily. "I can't wait to cook my first meal in my new kitchen. Oh, thank you so much!"

"Stay in touch!" Misaki called after me, but I was already opening the door into the complex and running for the stairs.

The room was exactly as it had been yesterday, with its characteristic flaws and overall quality that had me catching my breath just to take it all in. I could perfectly picture where I could put a bed, and where I'd put a cheap couch and a cheap table that was big enough for two people. I didn't need a TV, not with my schedule. But the empty space needed to be filled.

I took the bus instead of walking the distance to Yuu's apartment. Although it wouldn't have taken long, it was already pushing twelve thirty and I was working at three. And Yuu said he'd take me to some thrift store…

Like I'd done the day before, I leapt off the bus and ran the two and a half blocks to Yuu's, pulsing with energy that I'd dragged out of hiding from my very core. However, the moment I got to the parking lot and saw the bright red sports car – or race car – that looked entirely out of place, my mood plummeted and fear drummed in my veins.

Red. Like the one Reo had been driving the night I'd followed him and Natsume.

Driven by a different sort of force – fear – I made a beeline for the apartment, using Yuu's key to let myself in and then skipping the elevator and lunging up the stairs, taking them three at a time. I tripped on the last one, catapulting myself forward, giving my knee rug burn in the process. By the time I got back upright, I was at Yuu's door, with enough forward momentum that I collided with it. Instead of stopping me like a closed door should have, it swung open, because it hadn't been closed.

"Pay up, smarty pants," I heard Reo say, followed by the sound of a fist on flesh. "We'll start with four hundred, make our way up."

"I'll pay Persona personally," I heard Yuu say, his voice shaking. "Tell him he can come to me if he wants his money."

I lunged for Yuu's room, throwing the door open with so much force that it ricocheted back and hit my foot. The pain was distant, because directly in front of me, Yuu was being held up by the collar, his glasses thrown to the side, Reo standing over him, one fist already going into Yuu's face. I could already see blood, and my stomach somersaulted.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shrieked, fighting off tears of rage and storming into the room. I grabbed Reo's arm, surprising him into lashing out, clipping me in the jaw hard enough to force me two steps backwards.

"Mikan, get out of here," Yuu said, pulling himself up off the ground and wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Reo was trying to figure out why I was standing there, and in the second it took him to make sense of my presence, I was able to recover myself and stare heatedly back at him, confident that he wouldn't hit me on purpose.

"You seem to be popping up a lot, don't you?" he said, his surprise morphing into a smug look that I wanted to smack right off his face.

"Get out of here," I said through my teeth, pointing to the door, my free hand clenched into a fist and my shoulders rigid and tense. "Get out of here now before I seriously rage on you."

"Mikan, stop," Yuu said, but blood was still pouring out of his nose and his right eyes was swelling and he was hunched over like his ribs were hurting, and stopping wasn't an option. "Reo, Persona will get his money. Personally."

Reo scowled at Yuu. "Natsume's already on his way. He'll change your mind. As for you," He turned to me, raising his finger in my face. The temptation to take a chomp at it was overwhelming. "Best stay out while you can."

"If one more person tries to tell me what to do, I swear to God I will-"

"Polka Dots, shut up." Natsume strode in looking confident and cocky in his worn leather jacket and dark jeans. He glanced at me, then at Yuu, his face remaining blank. Then, to Reo, he said without looking at him, "I'll take care of this."

"Damn right you will. Tobita pays up today, and the girl learns to keep her nose out of your business." Shooting one last glare at me, Reo stalked out of the apartment.

I shot Natsume a nasty glare of my own before rushing to Yuu's side and helping him sit down on the edge of his bed. He was holding his nose and poking at his swelling eye, and when I touched his ribs gently, he inhaled sharply.

"Sorry, Natsume," Yuu said, wincing when I prodded his ribs again. "He broke in. Didn't give me much of a chance to do anything about it. Not that I could. I should start hitting the gym. But I didn't give him the money." He pointed to the dresser pressed against the wall across from his bed. "It's in the bottom drawer, in a box."

"What are you explaining this to him for?" I demanded. "Did you not hear Reo? He's here to take care of this! You shouldn't be giving him anything! Natsume, leave. Before I call the police. If I thought for one second that you were half as nice of a guy as Koko and Ruka and Yuu think you are, then I was completely mistaken. You are-"

He turned to look at me, and was in front of me so quickly I could only blink in surprise. He reached up, brushed his fingers along my jaw, reminding me that Reo had hit me and that it felt like I got hit in the face with a golf ball at point blank range. "He hit you?"

I wasn't sure if it was concern, exactly, that I saw in his red eyes. There was nothing to read on his face, but the mixture of anger and…something else made me think that maybe this _did _bother him. I pulled my face away, resuming my glare. "I'm fine. Yuu isn't. I'll call the cops. I swear I will."

"Mikan, don't," Yuu said tiredly. "Natsume's on our side."

"What the hell? He's here to collect for Persona. I don't care what the money is for, or why you owe him, or what the hell Natsume's going to do with it-"

"Mikan," Yuu said, sighing. "Whenever I owe Persona a payment, Reo comes to rough me up. He wants me to give him the money, but I always give the money to Natsume. Why? Because of the times I've given the money to Reo to avoid a couple bruises, he's taken half of it and given the other half to Persona, so Persona thinks I still owe him. Natsume doesn't do that."

My gaze flickered to Natsume, who was reaching into the bottom drawer of the dresser and rifling through the clothes to produce a box, presumably the one full of cash. "How noble of you," I said dryly. "Now if he could just find a way to get you, and himself, out of this mess, then imagine what happy lives we could all lead! Yuu, you need to go to the hospital."

He groaned. "Mikan, I said I'd take you shopping for furniture."

At this, Natsume turned and raised his eyebrow. Catching his look, I smiled triumphantly. "Found a place to live. And you thought I was naïve and couldn't take care of myself!" I accidentally bumped Yuu's ribs, and was reminded of our situation. "All right. Where's your car? I'm taking you to the hospital. Don't look at me like that. I have my license. I just don't have a car."

"You work in two hours," he reminded me. "Stay here and clean up. You're covered in blood and you're getting a bruise on your chin. I'm sorry you had to see this. I'll drive myself to the hospital."

"I'll take you," Natsume said, taking the cash out of the box and shoving it into the pocket of his leather jacket. "Polka Dots, let go of him. I'm not going to take him out into the back alley and smash up his face some more."

"I don't believe you."

"Mikan," Yuu sighed again, shaking me off. "I trust Natsume. You really should, too. Stop giving him a hard time. Sleep here another night if you need to. I know you probably don't have a bed in your new place. Try not to get in any more trouble tonight."

I folded my arms over my chest and huffed out an unhappy breath of air, therefore allowing Yuu to stand up. "I'm sleeping at my place tonight. I don't care if I have to sleep on the floor. But I'm stopping by tomorrow and if you've acquired anymore bruises, I'm out for Natsume's blood. Fair enough?"

Yuu chuckled humourlessly. "Fair. I'm just going to grab a towel for this nose."

Natsume started to leave after him, but I leapt up off the bed. "Wait." He turned halfway around, face characteristically blank. "Natsume, what are you doing in the middle of this? I don't even know what this," I waved my hands around the room, at the blood on the floor and the empty box that had held the cash, "is, but whatever it is, why is Koko in it? Or Ruka or Hotaru or Yuu? Why are _you _in it?"

For a moment, his eyes looked almost remorseful. But then it was gone, replaced by a smirk. "It's none of your business, Polka Dots. And it won't ever be any of your business." He walked out of the room, and then followed Yuu out of the apartment, while I stared open mouthed after him.

I knew what that meant. I knew that somewhere deep down, Natsume really wasn't as bad as I thought he was. Because he was trying to save them. He was doing all he could to get his friends _out _of whatever they were involved in, or keep them out.

But what about him? Who was supposed to save him?

* * *

><p>AN: It has been quite a bit longer since my last update, and I apologize for that! Work, suntanning, and having a social life are keeping me busy :) Getting my Vitamin D out here! I didn't realize until after I wrote it and reread it that this chapter is rather dry! Ah, the joy of laying foundation for a believable relationship :) Hopefully this is going where you all want it to go!

Thanks for the ongoing support! It is so, so, _so _wonderful! :)

xo.


	8. Watch It Burn

I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>I worried the whole time I was at the bar, and when I wasn't worrying, I was wondering about my new friends and how they'd all gotten into whatever it was they were into, but mostly I just worried about Yuu.<p>

When I looked at Yuu, I saw this skinny boy with glasses and a baby face and a forgiving smile. I saw the smartest kid in the class. I saw the teacher's pet. I saw the perfect son. That meant that I most definitely did not see what kind of trouble he could have gotten himself into that would have required getting bailed out by Persona.

Then there was Natsume, some hot shot stud with an ego that was bigger than Jupiter and a pair of eyes that could make a girl unravel at his feet. He had 'bad ass' written all over him. Looking at him, I saw the high school heartthrob. I saw the boy who was never in class because he was always skipping, and therefore the boy that barely passed and barely graduated. Or maybe he was a drop out. But even then, drug dealer/race car driver was not what I saw when I looked at him.

And then there was the whole other mystery with Ruka. What had happened that made him so protective of Natsume? Where did Hotaru come into all of this, with her calm way of handling Persona like she knew he couldn't touch her? Why did Koko want so badly to protect me from him?

And how the hell had I managed to land myself in this?

Stress does not look good on anyone, and as Luna oh-so-kindly informed me, it definitely did not look good on me. Or maybe she was just calling me ugly when she said I looked, "Rough," because I wouldn't put it past her to insult me after she saw me with Natsume and I saw what she was into. On top of that, she didn't look like she was capable of seeing when a person was stressed out.

Natsume did not come into the bar that night. Neither did Reo. That gave me the whole night to stew about how I was going to handle this situation.

By the time I was let off at midnight and said goodbye to Anna, Nonoko, Chihiro, and Narumi, I'd decided that there was only one person who would give me the answers I needed. One person that was blunt enough and thought I was dumb enough to hear it.

The Ice Queen herself. Hotaru Imai.

* * *

><p>After sleeping on the floor of my new apartment that night, I woke up in an infinitely better mood. And considering it was Friday, and therefore my last day to work at the bar for the week, and on top of that I was getting up at nine thirty instead of six because Koko had insisted on the late shift, I could honestly say that relief was a very prominent feeling as I made my way out of my new apartment.<p>

I had the whole bus ride and walk to the truck stop to figure out how I was going to ask Koko how to reach Hotaru. I supposed I could wait until the next day when I saw her at twelve o'clock sharp, but I didn't want to be working when I talked to her; she'd probably threaten to have me fired.

By the time I approached the entrance to the coffee shop, I had a plan outlined in my head and was certain it would work.

"Mikan!" Koko greeted me cheerfully. "How're you feeling this morning?"

"A thousand times better, thanks." The bruise on my chin didn't look nearly as bad as it felt. It was still tender, but not swollen enough that it was noticeable, and not dark enough that it couldn't be covered by makeup.

Sumire looked grumpy, and when she saw me come in, her eyes narrowed into slits. "You just _had _to go and get another job, didn't you? Waking up early," she scoffed. "That's for school kids! And I'm graduated! I should be sleeping in, or getting a pedicure, or spending hours on my hair. Not rolling out of bed, throwing it up in a bun and coming to _work._"

"That's what most high school grads do Sumire," Koko said in exasperation. "They work."

"Yeah, that's for high school grads that don't have rich parents."

"You're kind of a snob," I offered.

She waved her hand dismissively at me, dropping a tray on the counter by the coffee machine and ripping off her apron. "I know, honey. Hear it all the time. Might as well live up to it! I'm out of here! Sure you want me here tomorrow morning, Yome?"

He ran a hand through his hair, grinning. "Yeah. I need you, even if you are more monstrous than usual in the morning." He looked at me. "She's not a morning person."

"I said you didn't _have _to give me the afternoon shift," I reminded him.

Sumire glanced at me, gathering her stuff from the cupboard beneath the counter. "Even I'm not heartless enough to make you take the morning shift so you can come to work on three hours of sleep."

"Two and a half," Koko corrected.

"Whatever. I'll suffer with the morning shift. But the moment you quit the bar, I get the afternoon shift here."

Although I didn't have any plans to quit anytime soon, I said, "Deal."

She left in a dramatic flurry, making sure people looked at her while she talked loudly over her shoulder to us. Then she threw open the door, nearly hitting Daichi as he came in.

He jabbed his thumb at her over his shoulder while walking towards us. "Not much of a morning person, is she?"

"Doesn't seem so!" I exclaimed. "Hey, Koko, Hotaru's into business stuff, right?"

He looked up, surprised. "Yeah, why?"

I grabbed the apron Sumire had thrown on the counter and fastened it around my waist. "Well, I was looking into getting a degree in commerce when I go to school in the fall. And I was hoping she could give me some pointers!"

Daichi snorted, Koko rolled his eyes. I looked between them, shocked, until Koko said, "You're a terrible liar."

My confidence deflated. "What? I worked hard coming up with that!"

"So you really want to know about Natsume, hey?"

I thought about denying it, but that was useless because they were both looking at me with knowing looks on their faces. "Okay, fine. I want to know how he got into this and I kind of want to know about Ruka, too. How he got into it, you know? I just feel like since Natsume said I'm involved now – which was totally unintentional on my part – I think I should know _what, _exactly, I'm involved in."

"Easy," Daichi said. "Ruka was born into it."

"_Excuse _me?" I sputtered, taken completely off guard. I waited for an explanation, but Koko had shot Daichi a look and Daichi made a show of zipping his lips and throwing the key away. I shot a glare at Koko. "That's not fair."

He was already taking out a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbled on it, and then handed it to me. "Let Hotaru explain it to you. It's not mine or Daichi's concern. We are only 'involved' by association. As are you. Only Ruka, Natsume, and Yuu are actually physically involved in anything."

I looked down at the paper, at the number messily scrawled there, and tucked it in my pocket, promising to call that number the moment I got off my shift.

* * *

><p>Hotaru did not sound pleased to hear from me. In fact, she sounded annoyed that I dared try to reach her on her cell phone, and then claimed she had better things to do then try to talk to 'a little girl whose brain was so small monkeys could probably score higher on an IQ test'. I didn't think that was exactly fair, since she had no idea if I was smart in school or not, but I took it like a champ and persuaded her to meet me at Yome's in a half hour.<p>

She said I had to pay for her lunch and that I was forbidden to ever try her on her cell phone again. Actually, I wasn't allowed to ever call her. For anything.

Koko thought it was ridiculous that I wasn't going home to rest before my night at the bar, but I ignored him and sat at the table I'd once served Hotaru and Ruka at, just a few days ago.

Hotaru came in right when she said she would, not a minute late, and sat down elegantly across from me. She sat with her back straight, her chin tilted up, like Sumire did, but Hotaru's look was less snobby and more powerful. Like she knew no one dared stand up to her. I wondered what would happen if someone did, but it was a passing thought.

"You are attracted to Hyuuga, then," was the first thing out of her mouth.

I'd been drinking coffee that had lost its warmth as I waited for her, and I nearly spat it back into my cup at her assumption. "What! No! What in the hell made you think that? Natsume seems to think I'm involved in whatever it is that's going down here. That's what I want to know – whatever this is."

She studied me a moment. "You're female. You're attracted to him."

"No," I said firmly. "He's a jerk and doesn't deserve as much female attention as he gets. Which is why he doesn't have mine."

She smirked, and motioned for Koko. He brought her coffee. He must have heard our conversation as he walked by to serve another table, because he looked down at Hotaru with a playful smile that was fond and told me that they went back quite a bit.

"So if any female is attracted to Natsume, does that mean you are? I don't think Ruka will like that."

"Don't be absurd," she said, sipping her coffee like it was expensive tea in some expensive tear store.

"Then you're not female?"

She shot him a deadly look. "I'm not a mindless female," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm not attracted to Hyuuga." She set her mug down and motioned to me. "She is."

"I am _not_," I insisted, and then shook my head. "Forget this conversation. I just want to know what's going on here."

Koko offered Hotaru a sympathetic look and then dismissed himself, leaving me to watch Hotaru unnecessarily stirring her coffee. She didn't strike me to do anything that was unnecessary, but she took her coffee black and yet continued to stir it, her violet eyes distant. Maybe this was a touchy subject for her, too.

"Daichi said Ruka was born into this," I prompted.

"His father was in the gang," she said in her stony voice. "Nogi learned to drive a car when he was ten."

"_Nogi? _Ruka Nogi? His family owns the garage I saw Natsume at!"

She narrowed her eyes at me, threatening me with that look not to interrupt. "_He _owns it. His father is…deceased. Gang related. Ruka is bound to Persona; the only way out is to do take whatever challenge Persona offers. Because Persona is cold and heartless, Ruka won't risk it. He's an idiot and he's let people into his life that Persona could use against him."

Like her, I thought. And Natsume.

When she looked up at me, her eyes were sharp. "Understand that the only reason I'm telling you this is because I think your naivety and idiocy will be good for Hyuuga. If he believes you are involved, then perhaps you are, but not to the extent in which he and Ruka are."

"I understand," I said, although I wasn't sure how my 'naivety and idiocy' would be of any assistance to Natsume.

"Ruka and Hyuuga have been friends for a long time, but Hyuuga was never involved with the gang. Two years ago, Nogi was dumb enough to eat spoiled turkey and spent the evening of a big race ejecting the contents of his stomach. Hyuuga did the race for him to make sure he didn't get into trouble. Persona found out, and liked how he raced. He threatened him with Youichi, and eventually Hyuuga acted like he'd always been a part of it."

"Persona acts like Natsume's his favourite."

Hotaru nodded. "Hyuuga is his best. He wins all of his races and doesn't let petty things distract him. Until you came along and started diving through the window of his car."

"Okay, I did that once. Don't make it sound like a habit."

"What they do is dangerous. Persona has enemies, and his enemies are their enemies. They try to protect Koko, Yuu, Sumire, and I – although I clearly do not need protecting – and they don't need to add you onto that list. Anyone involved with them is also dangerous to them."

"You mean Persona could use you against Ruka? Because you love each other?"

Her eyes slid to me, and something in them told me that she feared that. Her words said otherwise. "Persona knows I won't be fazed by his threats. And neither will Nogi."

"Because he cares most about you," I said. "And if he trusts that you can take care of yourself, then he doesn't have to worry about Persona. But Natsume has Youichi. His son? He was a little vague when I asked him."

"Son," she repeated in a scoff. "Cousin. After Youichi's parents died, he was sent to live with the Hyuuga's."

She didn't need to say the rest for me to understand that Natsume's parents must have also died, or left. Because Natsume was Youichi's guardian and I knew for a fact that Natsume wasn't the type to live at home with mom and dad. He lived alone, part of a gang, raising a child.

My heart ached, the feeling I got when I saw the SPCA commercials on TV. It wasn't fair that I could get up and run away from my problems, find a new home, new friends, when he probably couldn't even leave the city without someone knowing exactly what he was doing and where he was doing it.

At least I knew I had somewhere to go if things got bad enough that I'd rather be home in Yuka's clutches. Natsume didn't have anywhere to go.

I was opening my mouth to say something, to ask so many questions, like how Yuu was involved, when my cell phone ringing cut through the silence between us. Maybe she was relieved – I really couldn't tell if this conversation was upsetting her at all – but she sipped her coffee so daintily that I didn't think it was.

"Hello?"

"I'm taking you furniture shopping," Yuu declared.

"You are?"

"Yes. Are you still at Koko's?"

"Yes, but-"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. I feel awful that I couldn't go with you yesterday and I know you don't work until seven. We'll find some cheap stuff and you can show me this new apartment you're so in love with. See you in a bit." He hung up before I could tell him I was busy.

Hotaru was already gathering her purse. "That's enough for your idiotic mind to absorb for today. If you want to know more, talk to Hyuuga. He knows better than I do."

"Would you stop calling me an idiot?" I growled.

"No. It suits you. I suppose you'll have to buy me lunch another day." Before I could say anything else, she was disappearing out of the shop without acknowledging Koko's called goodbye.

"Feeling anymore enlightened?" Koko asked, coming up to the table and taking the coins I handed him for our coffee.

"Yes," I said distantly. I couldn't stop thinking about what she'd said – or what she'd implied – about Natsume. Obviously he wasn't as much of a jerk to Ruka or to Youichi as he was to me. He actually had a heart, deep, deep down. I mean, _really _deep.

I knew I had to see him. I felt sorry for him, and even though I knew he'd hate to hear me say that, I had to say _something_. Everything that he'd been doing to steer me away from him was just making me more and more curious about him.

* * *

><p>Yuu took me to a thrift store that was so huge it looked like a Wal-Mart. I got all fluttery eyed and excited over everything I picked up, eventually leading Yuu to having to grab me by the arm and drag me to the back of the store where the furniture was. He was right about the prices. I bought a kitchen table big enough for two for five dollars, a bed frame for ten dollars, and a dresser for thirty. Then he took me to a new furniture store and forced me to at least purchase a futon mattress, because I refused to spend five hundred dollars on a box spring.<p>

Yuu helped me carry the stuff up the stairs of the apartment, and seemed impressed when I showed him the room. I told him about its flaws and how I planned to fix them, but he suggested a handyman for most of it, outwardly wincing when I mentioned I could probably wield a hammer.

It was six o'clock by the time he left. I returned his key, and he made me promise to come by if I ever needed anything or if the apartment didn't work out. He didn't want me to ever sleep under a tree again – so he was the one that told Natsume, although he admitted to guessing I'd slept under a tree because I hadn't mentioned that part.

I spent my shift at the bar smiling and greeting customers, but in the back of my mind I was trying to figure out how I could track down Natsume. He hadn't gone into Yome's that day, and I didn't expect to see him at the bar. I wanted to check the car garage, but I doubted anyone would be around at three thirty in the morning, which was the time it would be by the time I got there.

I thought about calling Yuu on my break and asking for a phone number, but he'd ask why and I wasn't ready to tell him that I knew how this all started. Natsume had to be the first I talked to, even if I had no idea what I was going to say.

"Earth to Mikan!" Anna's voice drew me out of my thoughts. "I think the glass it full. Yep. Definitely full."

I gasped and released the tap as the beer spilled over the edges of the glass. "Whoops." I poured some of the beer into the sink and wiped the cup. "I guess I was daydreaming. Sorry."

Anna laughed. "Don't apologize. Working this shift, it's hard not to daydream. Just try not to spill on any customers or anything, hey?"

I didn't spill on anyone, but I did drop a tray of drinks. The whole bar turned to look at me, drunkenly crying, "_Oooooooh!_" like it was a huge deal. Which it wasn't. Nonoko grabbed a mop and a broom and I had it cleaned up in less than two minutes. It didn't even happen because I was spaced out again; somebody running for the bathroom had bumped into me.

At two o'clock, I kicked off my heels and traded them for my flip flops, and mechanically went through the process of closing the bar, barely aware of the chatter from my coworkers.

I would check the car garage, but I was ninety percent sure no one would be there. My only other choice was to wait until I saw him at Yome's, if he went. But there was that desperation, in the tips of my fingers and my legs that made me feel like I needed to do something _now_, like there would be some significant consequence if I didn't say _something _to Natsume immediately.

"Have a good weekend, Mikan!" Nonoko and Anna called as we walked out of the bar and Narumi locked the doors behind us. "See you on Monday!"

I grinned, although I felt like it was detached from my face. "See you!" I turned the opposite way down the street that they had gone, recalling from memory how to get to the garage. Each step closer I got without hearing any sounds except for the traffic racing by me, the less confident I felt that I would find him there.

Sure enough, the garage was deserted. I knocked on the door, and then knocked on the garage door, to no avail. Sighing and wrapping my arms around myself, I turned around to begin walking back, but was surprised into stopping by the revving of two engines coming around the corner. Neither of them steered towards the garage, but one pulled over to the side of the road, engine roaring.

I didn't recognize the driver. "Looking for someone?"

I caught my breath. If I said I was looking for Natsume, they'd think I was just another of those girls that swoons the minute those red eyes flicker to you for half a second. Which wasn't true, because I wasn't looking for him for that reason. All I knew is that I needed to see him.

"Yes," I said, smiling my best smile. "Hayate."

The man whooped, flashing me a crooked grin that was a little bit unnerving. "Hayate's getting laid tonight! Hop in! There's a party downtown that he'll be at." His eyes raked the length of my body. "Boy, will he be pleased with me."

I bit my tongue, wondering how well this was going to turn out. If Natsume wasn't at this party, then I'd just gotten myself into a very stupid situation.

Who was I kidding? This was already a very stupid situation. It was pretty much a lose-lose. Because if Natsume _was _at this party, either he wouldn't want to talk to me or he'd be pissed that I was even there.

Drawing my shoulders back, I walked around to the passenger side, relieved to see that this car had a normal door. I ducked into it and didn't bother with the harness. I tried to act like I belonged here, like I wasn't someone from the outside, by looking less scared, but it was hard when this guy was ripping through the streets at terrifying speeds. To distract myself, I put my high heels back on.

"So what did Hayate do to win you over?" the driver asked conversationally. It was like we were talking in a coffee shop, like Hotaru and I had been earlier. It was like we were talking about last night's football game instead of the fact that this man thought I was giving my body to some creep who was a sore loser.

I shrugged, trying to look comfortable and nonchalant. "He charmed me."

He snorted. "Hayate is the least charming person around. But hey, whatever you say. He'll probably give me a wad of cash for handing you over."

_Too bad, _I thought wryly.

The party was in someone's house. There were sleek cars upon sleek cars piled outside the house, which looked totally out of place in this rundown neighbourhood. I climbed out of the car, looking around for Natsume's car, but it was too shadowy to distinguish colors. Inhaling, I started towards the house, tucking my flip flops between my back and the waistband of my skirt and pulling my shirt over top of them, keeping my phone clutched tightly in my hand.

"I'm going to go find Hayate," the driver said to me when we reached the door. "He's probably smoking pot outside. Stay here." He hurried off, high fiving and greeting people he passed. No one gave me a second glance, unless they were looking at my legs or chest, which according to Natsume wasn't that impressive to begin with.

I could see why. Here, all the girls wore little clothing that exposed most of their chests and nearly all of their legs. Most of the girls I saw were either on top of guys making out, or guys were on top of them making out. Or feeling them up.

I felt like this was an awful idea.

Looking around for a familiar face, I felt panic stirring in my stomach. This was bad. I couldn't stay here. It smelled like alcohol and marijuana and if Natsume wasn't here, I'd have to call a cab to get back to my apartment. Well, I'd have to call a cab because Natsume would never drive me home, even if I did find him.

I saw a door through the living room open. A back door that must have led from outside. My driver entered first, followed by a very high, very drunk Hayate. I suddenly realized just _how _dumb this idea was, and I was about to turn around and leave when I heard a very characteristic, "Polka Dots."

Any other guy would have looked plain in a black T-shirt and black jeans, but Natsume looked godly. That smouldering stare didn't help much. But he did make me feel completely at ease, even if his eyes were slightly narrowed, as I'd expected they would be upon seeing me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

I glanced towards the door where I'd seen Hayate come through. He was squinting while his friend was pointing, but the effects of the marijuana clearly made him incapable of seeing me. "Looking for you, actually. But Hayate thinks I'm looking for him, so-"

Grabbing my wrist, he dragged me over to a corner free of any couples sucking on each other's faces, his body shielding most of me from the rest of the room. I shook my wrist free and folded my arms over my chest, looking defiantly up at him. "You don't have to push me around. A 'Wow, I'm glad you went through all of this trouble to see you' would be nice."

"That would make me a liar."

"Okay, it was a dumb idea. But I needed to see you." Before he could smirk at me, I lifted a finger and waved it in his face. "And no, not because I wanted to look at you or try to seduce you like every other girl here probably does, but because I wanted to tell you that I don't think you're a jerk and-" I caught a whiff of cologne – agonizingly wonderful cologne – that was mixed with the unique scent of weed. I crinkled my nose. "Are you high?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do I look high?"

"I don't know. What does a high person look like?"

"You don't belong here."

I glanced past him, saw Hayate and his friend looking around, saw his friend make eye contact with me, saw him point, saw Hayate's disoriented gaze slide to me and recognize me.

"I'm just going to keep saying this was a bad idea. I've told myself that about twelve times already, but this was a really bad idea. I didn't know how else to find you. Go ahead, call me an idiot or naïve or whatever. But Hayate is coming over here and I really don't want you to leave me with him."

"You'd deserve it."

"I don't think any girl deserves to have her body violated because of her stupidity. Look, Hotaru told me why you're involved in all of this and I just wanted to-" I bit my lip. "Okay, I really don't know what I wanted to say to you. You probably never cared that I thought you were an asshole, but now I've decided you're only fifty percent asshole, fifty percent nice guy. I respect you, Natsume."

"Hyuuga, I believe she came to see me," Hayate said from behind Natsume. "Take your hands off her before you spoil her."

He looked angry and irritated and just all around pissed off with me, but I didn't think he'd leave me with Hayate. And he didn't. Instead, he closed his eyes like he was fighting a headache, opened them again so I could see the warning in them, and then he pressed his mouth against mine.

A lot of things went through my head at once; surprise, curiosity, the realization that this was my first kiss and it was happening without my consent, and maybe a little bit of something else in the very bottom of my stomach, burning.

I was suddenly acutely aware of every part of my body that was touching his. I could hardly feel the wall my back was pressed against, but I could feel where his fingers were touching my hips, where my chest was flush with his, where his mouth was so passionately touching mine.

It felt like time stopped, but it could have only been seconds later that he pulled away, which was good because I'd been seconds away from letting my body take over, which would have ended up with me putting my arms around him and he probably would have thought that was weird. Hell, _I _would have thought it was weird.

I felt breathless, and had to actively think to remember how to breathe. He'd already turned halfway around so that he could look at Hayate, who was turning red with anger. "Still want her?"

I peered around him, pulling myself together. "I think your friend misheard. I was coming here to see Natsume. Not you. Sorry for the confusion."

Hayate shot his friend a venomous look, and I instantly regretted saying anything. His friend seemed to sink into his feet, wishing he could become a part of the floor and free himself from Hayate's stare.

"All right, that was a lie. I said I was looking for you, because I didn't think he'd bring me here if I said I was looking for Natsume, because I'm not really-"

"Polka, shut up," Natsume said darkly. "Hayate, leave. She's here to see me."

Hayate glared once more at both of us, before saying, "This isn't over, Hyuuga," which almost made me laugh because it was so cliché. But the threat in his voice stopped me from doing so, and I swallowed thickly as he and his friend walked away.

"Thanks for that," I said, refusing to be too embarrassed to meet his gaze. I grinned gratefully up at him, fighting the blush that his dark eyes threatened to make appear. "Really. Thanks. And I'm sorry I came here like this. But I needed to tell you that otherwise I'd be up all night stewing about it. And I'm sorry for blaming you for what happened to Yuu. I didn't have any right."

He grabbed me by the elbow. "You're going home."

"Yes," I said with a sigh of relief. Relief because I wanted to sleep. Relief because Natsume wasn't going to let it get awkward. Relief because this was something we could pretend never happened. "I think that's a good idea."

Both his behaviour and what Hotaru had told me explained why none of his friends thought he was as much of a jerk as I had thought he was. He'd protected me, even when it was my own fault that I was in this mess, and he was probably right when he said I would have deserved to be left alone with Hayate. His background explained his stand-offish personality; it was the very personality I hadn't let myself acquire, no matter how badly I didn't want people to see my life with Yuka.

However, none of that could explain why my lips were still tingling.

* * *

><p>AN: So what'd you think? Mikan's not the sharpest tool in the shed, hey? Poor girl. Not cut out for city life! So now that I've sparked the romance with the first kiss, it's only going up from here! However, I would like to notify you all that sometime within the next three or four chapters, I'm going to be dedicating an entire chapter to Mikan getting to know her girlfriends better, because I think girlfriends are hugely important in a girl's life. I don't know about you all, but I would not have survived grades ten and eleven without my girls :)

Until next time!

xo.


	9. Doors That Open

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

_This chapter is dedicated to anyone who has ever had something that they were running from, and that they were scared to turn and face. _

* * *

><p>I couldn't be mad at Natsume. I wanted to be, but that would be unjust and totally unethical. Sure, he'd stolen my first kiss when I'd known him for less than a week, at a party for race car drivers, no less. And <em>sure <em>he violated my privacy with his…tongue. And on top of that, my insides were still feeling a little bit funny. And maybe it scared me that the simple pressure of his lips on mine – _a week after I'd met him _– had brought down my defences so quickly. Reason enough to be mad at him. But I'd walked right into it, and if anything I should be thanking him for saving me from my stupidity.

That's the only reason I wasn't sitting in the passenger seat of his car with my arms crossed over my chest staring out the window with a pout like a child who hadn't gotten the ice cream they'd been promised.

I was angled in my seat to face him, both hands fisted on the seat to one side of my legs, my curiosity about him just growing stronger with every single second that passed. He was driving at a normal speed, not ripping around corners and blowing stop lights, and his presence alone was enough to relax me.

His lips parted in an inaudible sigh. "What, Polka Dots?"

"You race cars-"

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."

"-you're in a gang of some sort, you may or may not deal drugs, and you go to parties that you neither drink _nor _get high at," I went on as if he hadn't interrupted. "That just doesn't fit, Natsume. When I think of a gang banger, I think tattoos – not to say you don't have tattoos – and guns – and not to say you don't have a gun on you right this minute – and bandanas and a lot of drunken nights and a lot of hours spent stoned out of your mind. From what I see, right this minute, you don't fit that profile at all."

"Maybe you're just too dumb to see it."

I scowled. "No, I _know _you're not a bad guy. I talked to Hotaru today. I know why you're in this gang, and I know why you're staying there. Because of an obligation to protect Youichi, and an obligation you _think _you have to protect everyone else. You and Ruka don't-"

"You don't know where we belong, Polka." His jaw was clenched; he spoke through his teeth.

"I wasn't going to say you don't belong there. I mean, I _don't _think you belong there, because you and Ruka are both good people. You, deeper down, of course. But you're still good." I cocked my head to the side, sure sympathy was evident in my eyes but too emotional at this point to be able to conceal it. "I was going to say you and Ruka don't deserve it."

His expression – or lack of expression – didn't change, but I saw his Adam's Apple bob as he swallowed. He probably didn't intend for me to notice that, but in the dim light of the car, I noticed everything about Natsume.

The way he drove with the ease that I would have taking a stroll through the park, with one hand on the top of the wheel, his grip loose, and the other resting on the stick shift between our seats. The way he slouched slightly in his seat, and the way his eyes scanned the road attentively and alertly. I noticed that his feet never hesitated in punching in the clutch, and he never made a mistake in shifting the gears. Occasionally, his eyes would flicker to his rear view mirror. His jaw was always clenched, the muscle there sometimes pulsing with the strain, like he was gritting his teeth to keep something from slipping past his lips; a curse, a lie, a reassurance that he couldn't afford to give me.

Realizing that I would be getting no further in this conversation, I turned to look out the front windshield. "How did you know I was homeless when I first got here? Yuu told you, right?"

"It's none of your business."

I sighed. "I am naïve, you know? I mean, you were right when you said I came here thinking I'd find a job right away, and a place to live. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I had to get away. Anything was better than where I came from."

"I didn't ask for your sob story, Polka."

"Natsume, I want to be friends with you. I'm not asking you to protect me from Persona. I don't need you to protect me. But I want to be friends with you. I think you need a friend who isn't caught up in all of this crap."

He was silent.

"Natsume?"

"Except you are caught up in it," he said finally. He'd stopped the car, and with a frown I realized we were in the parking lot of my new apartment building. "Persona knows you live here, and anything Persona knows, Reo and I know. He's keeping tabs on you."

I looked up at my building. Nearly all of the rooms were dark. I was sure Natsume could hear me swallow. "Just making sure I stay out of trouble, no doubt. So can we be friends?"

"Just get out, Polka Dots."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm taking that as a yes." I looked at the window, and then down at my skirt, and then back at Natsume. "You have to get out before I get out. You're not going to see another design on my undergarments."

He mumbled something I didn't catch, put the car in neutral, engaged the brake, and pulled himself expertly out of the window. Then, he turned and leaned against the door, his back to me. That was better, since the only effective way I could seem to get out with the limited mobility of my skirt was to crawl out headfirst and land on my belly on the dirt.

"You should really invest in a door that opens," I muttered, dusting off my knees. "Thanks for taking me home. And, you know, helping me out with Hayate." I walked around to his side of the car, turned to face him, smiling brightly. His eyes were dark in the night. "I'm serious, though. About wanting to be friends with you."

It happened so fast that I didn't really have a chance to freak out. He'd reached out, grabbing me by the arms and spinning me around, shoving me roughly against the side of his car, his shoulders bent over me like he was trying to make himself as big and as scary as possible. But I wasn't fazed. I could see how frustrated he was with me, and that didn't scare me.

"I don't care how stupid you are, Polka. _You're _the one who doesn't deserve this. Someone as naïve as you that doesn't have the sense to run away with her tail between her legs doesn't deserve to be caught up with Persona. Let sleeping dogs lie. You're making it worse for all of us by sticking your nose in it. You and I can't be friends."

I jabbed my finger into his chest angrily, scowling up at him. "I'm trying to help you. Can't you just accept that? I want to help get you out of this. I want to make sure Persona can't threaten you or Yuu or Ruka anymore. I want to stop Reo from showing up at Yuu's door and beating him, because one day he's going to figure out what you two have up your sleeves, and he's going to beat Yuu within an inch of his life, and Yuu will be lying there wondering why you never came."

"Yuu is well on his way out of this. As soon as he's paid off Persona, Persona will have no use for him. Ruka and I are stuck. Deal with that, Polka, and stay out of it. I never asked you to help, and I don't need your help. You're just causing trouble."

I dropped my arm, fisting both hands and seething. Grinding my toes into the soles of my high heeled shoes was all I could do to keep from shoving him. "I get it, okay? You don't want me in your life because I'm just another thing that Persona can use against you. I understand that. But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I didn't _need _you to help me with Hayate, although I'm grateful. You don't have to worry about me. I-"

"I'm not the slightest bit worried about you," he said darkly, moving me away from the car with gentle hands that were accompanied by a forceful push. He lifted himself up and into the car. "I don't care what happens to you."

I stared after his car for several long minutes, my eyes watering at the blow his words had delivered. Not that I was surprised. Natsume came across as a hard nut to crack, a man with walls of defence so thick that they proved impenetrable.

Furious with myself for letting him see that what he said had hurt me, I wiped at my damp cheeks with the backs of my hands.

Well, Natsume Hyuuga was a fool if he thought he'd gotten rid of me.

* * *

><p>I didn't see him all through the weekend. He didn't come into Yome's and I didn't go to the car garage in pursuit of him, because I figured he'd need at least a week to get over himself and stop being mad at me. Koko didn't seem to be aware of Natsume's little outburst on me, and neither did Ruka when he came in with Hotaru, so I figured he'd kept it to himself. Hotaru had a knowing look on her face, but it wouldn't surprise me if she knew about it because she seemed to know everything, so I carefully evaded all talk of Natsume.<p>

Yuu came over on the weekend and on my first Tuesday off from Yome's to help me with my fixer-uppers. I tried to patch the hole in the wall by myself, but I just made it look worse so I took Misaki's advice and put a cheap painting that I'd gotten at the same thrift store as my furniture over it.

I had the carpets cleaned on Tuesday, and while that was being done Yuu and I tried to fix the toilet, to no avail. It appeared that it would remain broken until I could afford to buy a new toilet and have someone come and put it in. I managed to scrub most of the soap scum out of the tub, although the cleaner I used was so strong it made my throat burn and caused me to cough constantly, which eventually ended in Yuu dragging me out of the bathroom.

I bought kitchenware, only the things I would need. I didn't go all out of waffle makers or coffee pots; I could get waffles _and _coffee for free at Yome's. But I did buy some forks and four dinner plates, dessert plates, and bowls, all which happened to match and were cheap enough that I didn't hesitate in buying them. I also got a couple of pots and a frying pan, and then Yuu took me to the grocery store and helped me shop.

Moving into a new place with virtually nothing besides the clothes on your back – and a bank card – was an expensive ordeal and I promised myself, by the end of the weekend, that for the following months I would not spend money unless I absolutely had to.

I wasn't going to buy a set of sheets and a comforter and a few pillows for my bed, quite content with the small blanket I'd packed from home. But Yuu said it would eventually get chilly in the nights through the walls and that I should be prepared so it didn't catch me by surprise. I got a nice bed set and forced Yuu to help me make the bed.

Natsume didn't come into Yome's at all during the week, and neither did Reo or Persona or anyone else of gang nature. I didn't see any of them at the bar, either, and by the end of the week I was debating going on a hunt for Natsume to find out if he'd cooled off enough to have a decent conversation with me without it ending in insults and him making me cry.

By Wednesday, the bruise on my cheek that I had sustained from Reo, having skipped the bluish-purple stage, went straight to the yellowish-brown stage, and I found that it was incredibly difficult to cover up. In the end, I gave up, and sufficed for forcing myself to lie once more and tell Koko that I'd tripped over the stuff I had laying around in the apartment while I was bringing my furniture in – he didn't have to know that my furniture consisted of a bed and a dresser.

That was one other thing; now that I was living on my own, I decided to let the charade of living with my aunt go. I told Koko that I'd moved out because there wasn't enough room for me in my aunt's house with my cousins. That explained Yuu coming to pick me up from work and taking me shopping, and it made me feel better that that lie was pretty much over with. I just had to watch to make sure I remembered it.

It was Friday, a whole week since I'd last spoken to Natsume and about all I could take. If he was serious about us not being friends, then somehow I was going to have to change his mind. There was something about him that made me feel like I _needed _him in my life. And no, it was not because he looked like he could be an underwear model. But I wasn't quite sure what it was.

I didn't tell Koko any of this while I was at work; he'd mentioned Natsume in passing over the past week, but nothing that directly asked me how it went when I told him that I'd spoken to Hotaru. It was during one of these conversations, near the end of my shift on Friday, that Koko grumbled something about Natsume coming in at eight o'clock at night.

"Okay," I said, propping my hands on my hips. "What gives? I thought your dad was supposed to work here too. You're _always _working. You work more than I do. What is it? Eight hours every day?"

"My dad works the night shift with a couple of other guys, but I've just been working more these last two weeks because I wanted to be the one that was training you, even if you didn't need much training." He shrugged. "I don't mind it here."

"Especially when Sumire works, right?" I winked at his shocked expression, picked up my tray, and brought it over to the table awaiting their orders. "Coffee for the both of you, and a chocolate chip muffin for you, sir, and a fruit salad for you." I tucked the tray under my arm and beamed at the elderly couple. "Can I grab anything else for you?"

The man put his frail, withered hand, covered by skin that was paper-thin, over my hand and smiled a yellow-toothed smile at me. "That's quite all right, Mikan. Everything is perfect, as usual, when I have you two beautiful ladies gracing me with their presence."

His wife chuckled. "You always were smooth with the ladies. Thank you, Mikan."

Mr. and Mrs. Sato were regulars at Yome's and seemed to prefer my service over Sumire's. They tipped well, even when I insisted they don't, and treated me more like a granddaughter than a waitress. They were just one more reason why I felt this unexplainable connection with Yome's, like it was more home that my real home with Yuka had ever been.

On the off chance that I would think of my old life, I'd always find myself wondering if Yuka had been trying to find me, or if her life without me was as good as mine without her. I still worried, though. Worried that she might be drinking too much, or that Hibiki was going to turn violent on her. But I had to force those thoughts out, reminding myself that Yuka had never given a damn about me, still didn't, and that I couldn't afford to care what happened to her, even if she was my mother.

"Oh, by the way, Mikan," Koko called from across the room. "If Sumire tries to get you to take her morning shift on Sunday, tell her no. She tried to get me to give it to her off so that she could spend her day at the beach working on her tan."

I'd worked with Sumire a few more times over the week, and I'd worked with her last weekend. She was actually great company, with her stupid remarks and hers and Koko's constant bantering. It was comical and refreshing, and I liked hearing her obsess about Natsume, just so I could see the dry, unenthusiastic and slightly jealous look Koko gave her. It was incredibly sweet.

"You heard from Natsume lately?" Koko asked when I went back to the counter to load up my tray. The question caught me off guard, but I disguised my surprise with a smile.

"Nope," I said honestly, and then ventured with a, "Why?"

He stared at me, mouth slightly agape, with more of an expression of wonder than one of shock. "I knew it," he muttered, shaking his head and looking back down at the coffee mug he was filling. "That guy is about as easy to read as you are."

"He thinks I'm easy to read. He thinks he's got me _all _figured out." I didn't mean for it to sound bitter, but that's how it came out. It made Koko laugh.

"Yeah, and I've got him all figured out. Get back to work, Mikan. You've got an hour left of your shift."

I went back to work, wondering why he'd stared at me in such amazement and what exactly it was that he thought he'd figured out about Natsume. I didn't have a whole lot of time to dwell on it, though, because only ten minutes after that conversation had occurred, the door dinged open, and I turned to greet the customer, only to have the greeting die on my lips.

At that very moment, everything bad that had ever happened to me seemed a whole lot less significant. Because this was worse than bad. This was like staring down the barrel of a gun and knowing you didn't have a whole lot of time left, knowing that the only option here was death, or misery. Because at that moment, everything I'd ever worked for to be able to stand on my own two feet came crashing down around me. My apartment, my jobs…everything just seemed so useless to me now.

The customer who had just walked in did not see me, and one could not fathom my relief at this. Never again did I want those eyes on me, and that meant never again had I even intended to see this man.

Hibiki.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I really wanted to end it with this cliffhanger! I know, it's mean, but I just love ending chapters with cliffhangers! :) And I promise, I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Which will possibly be less than a week.

However, I would like to _**WARN all of my readers **_that the next chapter does contain some dark material that does imply some very saddening and scary situations, and that the 'T' rating this story has is only suitable. It is very indirect, but those of you who pick up on what is implied may find it disturbing. I'll post this warning at the beginning of the next chapter as well, as a friendly reminder **_to be prepared. _**I promise though, it's really not that bad since it is so indirect.

Until then, my dear readers, happy suntanning! :)

xo.


	10. Like Fire and Gasoline

**Just a reminder: This chapter contains some material that has heavy implications that may be unsuitable for younger readers. **

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>I felt light-headed and had to reach for the counter to steady myself. This unpleasant feeling was followed by a wave of nausea so strong that sweat broke out across my forehead and on the back of my neck, and my entire body began to tremble. The bowl of cereal I'd had that morning did not want to stay in my stomach, and I must have looked deathly ill because Koko did a double take.<p>

"Mikan? What's the matter?"

At the mention of my name, I glanced towards the door to see if Hibiki had heard, but he was already taking a seat by the window and opening a newspaper. Before he had a chance to look up and see me, I turned back to Koko.

"I'm not feeling well," I told him, which wasn't a lie.

It all seemed painstakingly obvious to me now, Hibiki spending days at a time away from Yuka and I. Yuka seemed to drink more on those days, drowning her loneliness in booze because God knew that my company had never been enough for her. Hibiki, constantly bragging about the cities he'd gone to. It only made sense that he was a trucker, and now here he was, an obstacle in the way of my new start.

What made it worse was that I couldn't be honest with Koko, because that would involve coming clean about the reason I'd shown up, jobless, to this coffee shop two weeks ago. I couldn't tell him that that man was from a nightmare that I'd been tripping over myself in order to escape.

"You don't look well," Koko decided, reaching across the counter and pressing the back of his hand to my forehead. He frowned, possibly because it didn't feel like I had a fever, even though it felt to me like someone had started a fire beneath my feet and I was burning up. My breaths were quick and near panting, and the longer I stood, the more light-headed I felt.

"I must have had some expired milk this morning," I offered weakly. "I guess it's just catching up to me now."

"God, Mikan, you look green. Can you make it home?"

I pulled my apron off, nodding. "I'm sorry, Koko. I wish I could stay, but I feel like that would be a disaster."

He smiled, moving aside so I could gather my things from the employee cupboard. "I don't need you releasing your spoiled milk all over my customers. Go home and get some rest. And Mikan, call in sick if you have to tonight. I know you're stubborn enough to think you can handle it."

I waved my hand, trying to be dismissive about it, but all I could think was, _Stop saying my name. _"I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be fine. Just going to lay down and sleep for a bit. See you later, Koko."

"Feel better!"

I headed for the kitchen, shooting him a smile that felt forced over my shoulder. "Just in case I can't hold it in, I'll go out the back door." Without another glance in Hibiki's direction, I bolted through the kitchen and out the back door.

The fresh air did little to soothe my raging nerves. My eyes threatened to water, just recalling the face that had haunted so many of my nightmares since the day he'd walked into mine and Yuka's life. My legs felt like rubber underneath me, and the further I walked the more I wondered if I could make it home without passing out on the street.

I tried not to think about what might have happened had he seen me. Would he have said anything, or would he just have pretended that I was a waitress whom he knew nothing about? Somehow, I doubted that. Hibiki liked a big scene, and he would love the one that would be created when he stood up and announced that I was his runaway 'daughter', because he knew I would never have the guts to say what had gone on at home for as long as I could remember.

By the time I stumbled into my apartment, the nausea had worn off, and a feeling of relief was slowly extinguishing the panic that had caused it. All I had to do was keep reminding myself that he hadn't seen me, he hadn't seen me…

I slept because the overwhelming fear had exhausted me. And then I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich and ate at my table trying to erase the image of Hibiki's face out of my mind.

Never in my life did I want to see him again. Even though he'd only been in my life for a couple of years, I think I almost preferred Yuka over him, even though Hibiki had never hit me. In his distant, secretive way, when he thought no one was watching, his eyes on me were much more unnerving than Yuka's fists.

I had just finished my sandwich when there was a knock on my door. At first, my heart jumped into my throat because I thought that maybe it was Hibiki, but one glance at the clock told me it had been two hours since I'd last seen him and since he hadn't seen me, there was no chance he was knocking at my door. On top of that, no one had rung my room from downstairs asking for entrance, meaning that whoever was knocking was probably one of my new neighbours.

It was a reasonable conclusion to draw, but it was also the wrong one. When I pulled the door open with a greeting smile, and saw Hibiki looking down at me with a vicious sneer, I felt my heart drop to my toes before my insides turned to ice, freezing my legs into immobility.

"Look what we've got here," he said in his condescending tone, pushing past me and closing and locking the door behind him.

He'd knocked me off balance with his entry into the room, and as I stumbled to regain my posture, I wondered what he was going to do to me that required locking the door so no one could get in. Or was he trying to make sure I couldn't easily get out?

Drawing my chin up, I didn't have to try to look bitter and angry – the feelings came on their own accord, firing up my veins with an adrenaline rush that I sometimes experienced when Yuka was in one of her raging fits. "I don't think I invited you in, Hibiki," I said venomously.

He laughed dryly, looking around the apartment that I'd worked hard to make homey, and I was pleased with it. He, clearly, was not. "Quite the shithole you're living in," he scoffed. "I had to wait nearly two hours downstairs before someone walked in and held the door open for me. Not the best complex. Giving away sexual favours to pay rent?"

I was too angry to be offended, and too proud. "No, actually. I have two jobs. Neither which involve stripping. Sorry to get your hopes up, Hibiki. Now that you've checked up on me, which I'm sure Yuka does not approve of, you can leave. And don't show up here again."

"Your mother hasn't been herself since you left." By that, I knew that he meant she hadn't been in the same in the bedroom. I could tell by the way his eyes got all hungry, like he was deprived of something. "You've caused a lot of trouble."

I rolled my eyes, refusing to be moved by him. "Not much has changed here. I'm still causing trouble, apparently. So go ahead and tell Yuka that I haven't changed and that she doesn't have to worry about me going to the police. I'm happy here. I'm fine by myself. But thanks for the concern," I added sarcastically.

He continued to sneer at me, like he knew some private joke that I wasn't in on. "What kind of daughter abandons her mother?" he taunted.

"_Yuka,_" I emphasized, "does not consider me her daughter. She looked at me like a leech, living off of the embarrassing amount of money she made. She is no more my mother than I am her daughter. And if you really want to, you can tell her that. I'd be a fool to go back there when I've got all of this." I motioned around me, and then paused, knowing this was pushing it. I tilted my head innocently to the side. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say _you _were the one that was missing me."

That threw him off.

I came to dislike adrenaline rushes a lot at that moment. They make you feel untouchable, when in fact you are quite touchable. They make you feel like you can say anything that comes to your lips without any consequences, when in fact there are consequences. My adrenaline rush made me step up to Hibiki and jam my finger in his chest.

"That's right, I know," I hissed through my teeth. "I know how you came into my room all of those nights. I wasn't sleeping. I could hear you open my door and creep across the floor and just stand there, _staring_. And the more often you did it, the more I began to wonder who you were really staying for; Yuka, or me? Lord knows I would have screamed bloody murder if you laid a hand on me. But that's what you wanted, isn't it? To put your hands on me? That's what you stood there talking yourself out of all those nights, because you _knew _I would know. That's what you want now, isn't it?"

His face darkened, the hunger in his eyes burned. That's when I knew I shouldn't have said anything. This was one of those situations in which one dug their hole deeper. And at this point, I was very, very deep in the hole I'd dug.

He came at me so fast I didn't even have a chance to gasp, not that I would have. If there was one thing I knew about Hibiki, it was that he didn't like to be challenged. Yuka never challenged him; she was submissive. And I would not allow myself to be like Yuka, and gasping would give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd surprised me.

His grip on my arms, just above my elbows, was firm enough to hurt me, but I just gritted my teeth against the pain and glared up at him. My tailbone was pressed against the counter, my back bending awkwardly back, far enough that the back of my head hit the cupboard. He was so close that his legs were flush with mine, his breath that stank of tobacco fanning over my face.

"Is this what you want, you little bitch?"

"No," I shot back. "I want you to take your hands off of me. And then I want you to go home to Yuka and tell her that her little girl is fine, and to never try to find me. And then I want you to remember never to come back here, because if you do, I'll have a restraining order put on you. I'm sorry I'm not there for you to stare at anymore, Hibiki." That last part, of course, was not said with feeling, and was quite sarcastic, because I definitely was not sorry.

He pressed himself closer to me, his unshaven mouth nearing mine. The desire in his creepy eyes was prominent, and I knew that this situation was a bad one to be in, worse than the one I'd been in a week ago at that race car driver party. For a fleeting moment, I wished Natsume or Ruka or Koko would come to the door and come sweeping in like a knight in shining armour. But even I, the Queen of Naivety, was not ignorant enough to believe that things like that actually happened. And I wasn't weak enough to think that I actually needed that.

"The problem," Hibiki breathed, "with apartments like these, is that the people that inhabit them are often hookers and call girls. Have you heard any screaming yet, Mikan? And did the cops show up? No, because no one cares enough to call."

That wasn't true. I hadn't heard anyone screaming because the walls here were actually pretty thick. But I wouldn't tell him that, because then he'd think he could have his way with me without anybody coming to the rescue.

"Imagine, if I stayed awhile." His breath came quicker, like he really was imagining what he could do to me. "I could show you who's in control here. I could show you how my hands can touch every part of you that my eyes have looked at. And then I'd leave you here, broken and crying like the baby you are, and I'd go home and bed Yuka. And she would never know that I had violated her _daughter _just hours before."

My legs began to quiver with fear at the intensity of his words, but I managed to hold onto my anger long enough to bite out, "You sick bastard."

He lifted me off the ground and swung me around so that my back collided with the table, knocking my empty plate to the ground. It shattered – in the back of my mind I cursed having to replace it – and Hibiki's boots crunched over the shards as he forced me towards my bed, that hungry look growing more savage with each step he took.

"Don't even think about it!" I growled, thrashing in his grip. He dropped me on the bed, on the mattress that suddenly seemed unforgiving. Before he could advance any further, I lashed out with my foot and caught him between the legs, which distracted him enough that I was able to roll onto my stomach and struggle to my knees and begin to crawl across the bed. He recovered quickly, grabbed my ankle and pulled me back, and then fought with me to turn me back over.

He clawed at my clothing. I heard my shirt rip, cursed having to buy a new one, and then freed my hand and decked him in the chin so hard that my knuckles cracked and he went reeling backwards. I pulled my ripped shirt up my shoulder, my breath coming in ragged pants. I struggled to my feet, finding that my legs threatened to wobble.

"This is your last chance to leave before I call the police and charge you for harassment. I'm not one of those girls who is too embarrassed to come forward after something like this. Leave, Hibiki, and don't you dare ever come back here."

Holding onto his chin, he stared hard at me for a minute longer. And then I guess he saw no room for argument, because he actually listened, turning around and walking to the door. Before he walked into the hallway, he looked back at me and spat on the floor, and then the door closed between us and I collapsed to the floor in relief.

* * *

><p>I didn't call in sick that night because I was far too scared to be alone in my apartment, which was ridiculous because I'd worked so hard to have a safe place to stay and being scared of it wouldn't do me any good. Convinced that I just needed some time away to cool off, I left for work at the bar on legs that still felt weak with the remnants of fear and shock.<p>

I tried to keep my mind off of it, but every time I thought of how close he'd come, and of all the things he'd said to me, my entire body began to tremble and I had to hold my breath to keep from breaking out in tears in the middle of the bar. I could sometimes feel the warmth at the back of my eyes, the first warning before tears made themselves evident. Somehow, I always stopped them.

After Hibiki had left, I'd stayed on the floor for a very long time, feeling incapable of getting up. When the shock finally wore off, sobs racked my body so hard that eventually I wasn't sure if I was crying from the experience or from the pain of already crying. I might have fallen asleep, or passed out from hyperventilation, but I roused myself at six o'clock and was at work and ready by seven, after cleaning up the spit mixed with blood at the door and the broken plate.

The shirt I'd been wearing was ruined. The seam along the shoulder had been torn, and part of the neckline. Hibiki had tugged so hard on it that the material had bitten into my neck, and I found out later when Anna pointed at my neck questioningly that it had left a long, thin bruise.

I told her I'd been wearing a necklace and it had gotten caught on my shirt when I was taking it off, and broke the chain in the process. She bought it, and when I got home that night I studied the mark in the broken mirror and discovered that that was exactly what it looked like.

Despite the fact that I _did _feel better walking into the apartment at three thirty in the morning, I couldn't bring myself to sleep on my bed. Not when I knew what might have occurred there if I hadn't gotten my hand free and hit Hibiki hard enough to get him off of me. So instead, I pulled the blanket that had come from home off the bed, positioned a pillow under my head on the floor, and fell asleep there, where I was dragged into nightmares so dark, twice I awoke screaming.

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><p>I had to buy a new white shirt in the morning. I was obviously not pleased with this, because that meant unnecessary money being spent. I had to get a long sleeved shirt, too, because bruises were forming on my arms above my elbows where Hibiki had gripped me, and on my wrists where he'd tried to pin me down. I didn't have a good explanation for them, so I had to cover them up.<p>

I didn't really feel a whole lot better walking to work that morning. I felt tired and sick and like someone had vacuumed the life out of me. Koko noticed the moment I walked in.

"Not feeling any better?"

I thought about putting up a charade and pretending I was dandy, but I was exhausted and didn't think I could keep it up. I settled for using his excuse.

"I must have caught a bug," I lied. "I'm mostly over it now. Just a twenty four hour thing, I think. Sorry for bailing early on you."

He grinned. "That's all right. I had someone come in early. Daichi was a little upset he missed you, though. He should be coming in today." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "And Hotaru will most likely come in."

"Twelve on the dot," I said. I offered him a smile I think turned out well, and then threw on an apron and grabbed a tray and got to work.

The more I worked, the easier it was to forget that anything had ever gone wrong here. But occasionally I still found myself glancing out the big windows as more truckers arrived, half expecting Hibiki to return to taunt me some more. But with my threat to call the police hanging in the distance between us, I was confident that he'd stay away, at least for a little while.

Hotaru came in at twelve o'clock on the dot and ordered me to buy her lunch to make up for not buying it last week. I rolled my eyes and got her a free lunch, since I had a discount anyway that apparently entitled me to a hundred percent off any order. Despite her constant remarks about my stupidity, I think she and I were well on our way to friendship, and that insight allowed me to have a slightly better afternoon.

A few times I caught myself going to roll up my sleeves. Yome's wasn't air conditioned and it was hot outside in the blazing sun, but any time I looked down to roll up those sleeves and saw the bruises peeking out from underneath the white material, I caught my breath and pulled them to my palms.

I did, however, find that the longer I stayed in this environment that I loved, the easier it was to be like my usual self. The worry eventually seeped out of me, and I was bouncing from table to table like I had been yesterday before Hibiki's arrival.

"Hey, Mik!" Daichi came in around two o'clock, sitting one over from his usual seat, which was occupied by a middle aged man talking on a cell phone. "I missed you yesterday! Heard you were looking a little green."

I smiled, sliding him his usual cup of coffee. "I'm much better now. Just a twenty four hour thing, you know?"

"You've been up and at 'em often enough that I figured it was a ticking time bomb, you catching a bug. What do you suppose it was? The flu? Because if it was, you get your paws off my coffee." But he said it with a grin and I knew he was kidding. "You seen the brooding lad lately?"

I actually paused at this remark, and then swallowed a laugh at his description. "Natsume? No. Have you?"

"He was in here the other night when Koko was off," he said. "He sat right next to me here and we had a nice little chat. I brought you up, and he gets all silent and, well, brooding. Figured something must have gone down between you."

I waved my hand dismissively, even though he was bang on. "He's just being himself. He probably gets annoyed by even conversation about me, and therefore elects to stay quiet. I think I'm too energetic for his liking; I believe I give him headaches."

Daichi hooted with laughter. "I don't know how anyone could pass up a chance to be your friend, Mik. You've charmed this whole café. Even Hotaru is mildly amused by your antics. Natsume's no different. He's just too stubborn to realize it himself."

_That'll be the day_, I scoffed inwardly, and then to Daichi, with a smile, "Oil and water, Daichi. Natsume and I just don't mix."

"Or gasoline and fire," he countered. "Explosive when they mix."

I rolled my eyes at him to humour him, and then did another round of the dining area before retiring to the back, but suddenly I couldn't erase the feeling of Natsume's mouth on mine, how pleasure had shot from my toes to my head and how that wasn't the sort of thing that came from 'not mixing'. I hadn't thought about it for days. In fact, I'd been consciously _not _thinking about it.

It was the most disillusioned conclusion I'd ever drawn; part of me – the strictly female and completely primal part of me – was attracted to Natsume.

To justify this, I decided it was reasonable to say that it was fair that any woman would be _physically _attracted to him. Because he was good looking. And maybe it hadn't hit me until he kissed me, but there was attraction between us that I planned to evade.

After all, just because my body liked his body, did _not _mean I liked _him._

Two more employees, a girl named Yuri and some boy that looked fourteen, came in near three o'clock to replace both Koko and I. Daichi left shortly before us, promising to stop in again next week, and then Koko and I walked out together.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Mikan?" he asked, standing on the sidewalk under the warm sun.

I wanted to badly to roll up my sleeves. "I'm fine, Koko," I said, feigning confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He stared at me a moment longer, shook his head, and then said under his breath, "Terrible liar. See you tomorrow, Mikan!"

Koko kept telling me I was a terrible liar. And suddenly, I knew. There was no point in keeping my life from him; _he _knew. He'd seen through my lies right from the very start. Maybe he didn't know exactly what I was doing here, but he sure as hell knew I was never living with my aunt, and he knew that I wasn't planning on going to school.

It felt to me like these people I'd known for two weeks knew me better than anybody from my old life ever did.

* * *

><p>I opened as many windows as there were in my apartment when I got back to it, and then I changed into a tank top and laid on my floor beside my bed, staring at the ceiling and deciding that I should probably invest in a fan for these humid, hot days. At the same time, I was contemplating moving back onto my bed, convinced that there was no reason I shouldn't sleep on it.<p>

I mean, really, wasn't I being a little immature?

Groaning, I turned over onto my side. My back was already damp with sweat, my hair sticking to my face and neck. "That's it," I grumbled to myself, sitting up abruptly. "A fan is a necessity."

I walked – in a sweater – to the Wal-Mart ten minutes from the apartment and spent twenty minutes in the air conditioned building reading the box of each fan and then picking the cheapest one that I thought would last the longest. I wasn't an expert on fans, so I wasn't entirely confident in my choice.

To my extreme surprise, the teller I went to was that of a girl with extravagant hair and a look on her face that wasn't quite a scowl but wasn't quite friendly. She didn't look surprised to see me, and she laughed when she saw what I was carrying.

"Ha! You really feel it on days like these, hey? Not having an air conditioner? Hate to break it to you, honey, but that's not going to do you much good."

I grinned. "Misaki. The apartment is fabulous. I can tough out the heat; I don't spend enough time there to bother with any fancy air conditioning systems."

She snorted, ringing the box through. "The air conditioner would probably cost more than the apartment. Did you cover that hole in the wall?"

"Yep. Cheap painting."

"That's my girl, taking advice from her elders. You paying on debit?"

I flashed her my debit card and waited for her go ahead to swipe it. "The toilet's being a little more difficult. I'm going to have to get a new one if I ever want to fix it. I have a friend that's keeping an eye at the hardware store for any sales on toilets." I punched in my pin number and waited for it to process. It was really ridiculous, but even though I knew I had more than enough money, it was nerve-racking waiting for _APPROVED _to pop up on the screen.

"Mikan! Hey!"

I looked up, surprised to see Tsubasa making his way over from the self-checkouts, wearing the same blue shirt as Misaki. She rolled her eyes at his approach, but I could see the ghost of a smile that tugged on her lips. He went to put his arm around her, but she jabbed him hard in the ribs with a hissed, "Not at work."

I clasped my hands together under my chin. "You guys work together? That's so sweet!"

Tsubasa gave Misaki a look that said he felt exactly the same. "We met here. She just started working and she purposely knocked a tower of paper towel on me and then blamed me for it." He studied me. "Mikan, why in the _hell _are you wearing a sweater?"

I looked down at myself, and then smiled sheepishly. "Waited till the last minute to do my laundry. I didn't have anything to wear."

He fanned himself with his hand. "I think I'd rather wear nothing than wear a sweater!"

"Of course you would," Misaki said dryly, elbowing him again. "Get out of here. You're scaring customers. Do you want a bag, Mikan?"

I shook my head, gathering the fan in my arms. "No thanks. See you guys later!"

I held my breath before stepping outside, dreading the moment the heat enveloped me and made me sweat profusely beneath my thick sweater. By the time I shut myself in my apartment, where there was not much difference in the temperature, I was panting and groaning as I struggled out of my sweater.

For three hours, I lay in my bed with the fan sitting on one of the chairs from the table beside me, blowing on my face. I fell asleep, and when I woke up it was due to an abrupt knock on the door.

My heart leapt into my throat while my mind, still groggy from sleep, tried to process any possible reason that Hibiki might be back. I scrambled to my feet, looking around the room for something I could use as a weapon just in case it was him. As I was about to make for the kitchen to grab a spatula, an unmistakable growl came from the other side of the door.

"Open the damn door, Polka Dots."

My initial reaction was shock, and then panic as I looked down at myself and saw that I was still in a tank top. "Just one moment!" I called, running for my bed and tearing through the sheets for the sweater I'd discarded. I pulled it on while hurrying to the door.

Natsume did not wait for an invitation. As soon as I opened the door a crack, he was throwing it the rest of the way open and stepping inside, slamming it closed behind him before turning his fiery gaze on me. I didn't have a chance to comprehend why he looked so angry before he reached for my arms and pulled the sleeves of my sweater up.

I gasped in surprise and pulled my arms away, but he'd already seen the purpling bruises that would match the size of Hibiki's fingers.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded.

"I think a better question is, _how _did you get up here without ringing me first to let you in, and _how _did you know this was my room?"

He didn't answer. He just stared at me, waiting for me to crack under the pressure of his strangely coloured eyes. It took several moments for me to process his presence here before it clued in what he thought this was about.

"Relax," I chided. "Reo didn't touch me. None of Persona's guys did. This was personal. Koko thought something was up, didn't he? How'd he get _you _to come check on me? Last I checked, I was the plague and you were doing everything you could to not catch me."

His teeth were gritted again, like he was frustrated. "Who did it?"

"It's none of your business," I said, mocking the tone he always used when he said the same words to me.

"This isn't time for games, Polka. Who did it?"

I tilted my chin up, but it didn't help me hold onto pride when my eyes were burning. He could tell, I knew he could. "It's nothing, all right? He was just trying to scare me."

"Who was?"

"What does it matter to you? And how the hell did you get up here?"

"Lock's broken," he said, skipping my first question.

"And how did you know this was my room?"

"Anything Persona knows, I know. Who did this?" He grabbed my hand, shoving my sleeve back and revealing the bruises once again.

I shook my head, refusing to answer. No, refusing to say _anything _because the moment I opened my mouth I knew that everything would come out, whether I wanted him to hear it or not. The silence hung between us, my mouth stubbornly closed and his eyes irresistibly convincing. His hand remained on the door, telling me that he didn't plan on leaving until I told him what had gone on here.

Sighing, I turned and headed for the kitchen sink, where my dirty plate from dinner sat, unwashed. Seeing no need for the sweater anymore, I pulled it over my head and tossed it over the chair remaining at the table. He stayed at the door, watching me as I ran water over the plate and squeezed the orange-scented soap on it.

"It was my mom's boyfriend, all right?" I said finally, shutting off the tap. "I didn't know that he was a trucker, so I didn't expect him to show up at Yome's. I didn't think he saw me, but he followed me here and waited until someone came in and held the door downstairs for him. Guess he didn't know the lock was broken."

"And you let him in," Natsume deadpanned.

I shot him a glare. "I didn't let you in either and yet there you are, dirtying my doormat with your bad attitude." When he just stared at me, I sighed again. "I let my mouth run a little. He's always creeped me out, and I brought it to his attention that I'd always known. He wanted to take it one step further." I closed my eyes against tears. "The things he said to me…God, they were awful."

"Stupid girl," he muttered. "Hibiki Ito."

I looked up, stunned. "What? How did you know?"

"Persona deals to him. He's got his own business."

A lot of things went through my head at once, but I managed to sputter, "That's why Persona's keeping track of me, isn't it? Because he thinks I'm part of Hibiki's business?"

His nod was barely noticeable. "Once he finds out you aren't, he'll leave you alone. If you stay away from your mom and Hibiki, Persona will lose interest in you."

I snorted, but the sound was weak in my throat and hard to force out. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going home, and Yuka won't come looking for me. Thanks, Natsume. And I'm sorry about last week. Really. I keep forgetting to remind myself that 'curiosity kills the cat'."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, like I hadn't even spoken. Glancing at the time, he pulled the door open. "Don't push my patience."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Catching his look, I let my shoulders drop. "A race. Can I come?"

"No."

"Why not? Now that I know Persona isn't interested in me because of _you_, what's the problem? I can pretend I'm one of those skanky girls. Like Luna! Not that she's a skank. She just dresses like one. Except I'll have to wear a sweater. I don't want to broadcast to the world-"

The door slammed shut, and just like that, Natsume was gone.

* * *

><p>AN: So now that Mikan's past has been completely brought to light, we can move on from the dark and dreary stuff! I'm sorry if anything that was implied offended anyone, but there's really no point in sugarcoating it. Stuff like this happens. It shouldn't, but it does. And it almost happened to Mikan! Cheers for her having a backbone of steel and holding her own!

Until next time!

xo.


	11. Ladies' Night

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p>I stormed into Yome's the next morning, feeling far better than I had the day before, the incident with Hibiki rubbed off my skin and washed out of the back of my mind. All that remained were the marks left by his fingers on the pale skin of my arms, which was easily hidden with a long sleeved shirt.<p>

"Koko!" I called across the room, and saw his head pop up behind the coffee machine. Sundays were usually slow, so he was alone. Resisting stomping now that I was in sight of customers, I went to the counter, unable to keep the glare off of my face. "You told _Natsume _to check up on me?Instead of talking to me directly? _Why_?"

He grinned. "Natsume spent enough time being himself and avoiding you because he thinks it's 'for the best'. I figured I'd better get him over to see you. And I know you, Mikan. You would have lied about it and Natsume's got a way of prying the truth out of people." His eyes flickered to my covered arms, his smile fading. "You sure you're all right?"

I sighed. "I'm fine, Koko."

He got back to filling the mug in his hand with coffee. "So it wasn't Persona's guys, then?"

My eyes narrowed. "What did he tell you?"

"That's it," he said defensively. "Just that it wasn't Persona's guys. I didn't ask who it was, and he wouldn't have told me even if I did. And if you don't want to tell me, then that's okay too. I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me."

"Don't get all sappy on me. You're going to make me cry." I reached across the counter and ruffled his hair, smiling. "Thanks, Koko."

* * *

><p>I spent the next couple of days learning how to work on my own. Koko actually had a day off on Monday, and I spent the slow afternoon handling the entire floor – which really wasn't all that big – as well as the till on the convenience store side of things. Monday evening at the bar, I found out that I would be getting Thursday evening off, because the bar was holding its monthly Ladies' Night and, to honour the title, all the girls got the night off and the bartenders had to do the waiting. Nonoko and Anna begged me to attend with them; I couldn't resist.<p>

Tuesday at the bar I had my first violent encounter when I accidentally gave some guy a dark beer instead of the light one he'd asked for, and he stood up and pushed me back and Narumi had to intervene before calling the cops. I was less shaken and more furious; I'd just about shoved the guy right back.

Wednesday I finally met Mr. Yome, the guy who owned the truck stop. He was friendly enough, but apparently he'd been up early and hadn't stuck around to chat. Daichi came in that day, though, and Sumire had the same shift, so I wasn't bored out of my skull.

"So, you've got to share your secrets with me," Sumire said at a particularly slow part of the afternoon. "How in the world did you manage to wedge yourself right into Natsume Hyuuga's and Ruka Nogi's business?"

I rolled my eyes. "Wrong place at the wrong time." Which wasn't entirely true anymore. Persona had had his eye on me from the very beginning, because of my ties to Hibiki. Which were also against my will.

"Yeah, Koko told me about the whole little mishap with you and Yuu in the alley," she said. "But still. Natsume hasn't had Persona sic any rabid dogs on you to scare you away, or his creepy race car buddies haven't placed wagers on you. Don't look at me like that. Luna Koizumi – I met her at the bar – she invited me to a race, and when I said hello to Natsume – even though he ignored me – I had like ten guys asking if they could have me if he lost."

I washed a coffee cup out and placed it on the rack to dry. "Well I haven't gone to any of the races, so…"

She snorted. "Don't bullshit me. I heard Imai and Ruka talking with Koko about it. Heard you jumped in his car. Girl, I know most females _wish _they could do that, but I have to respect you for actually doing it. Hell, _I _wish I'd had the guts to jump in his car with him."

"Sumire, I hate the guy."

"Then why did you do it?"

I put both hands down on the counter, prepared to answer but finding that I didn't have one. Because every time I thought I'd had an answer, it turned out to be something I made up because I _didn't _have an answer. Curiosity? Maybe that's all I could call it, but what exactly was I curious about? What Natsume was into? Why he was into it? Or was it Natsume himself?

I sighed. "I don't even know anymore. All I know is that I want to try and find a loophole in this whole ordeal with Persona. You know, find a way to get Ruka and Natsume out of it so Koko and Yuu and _you _don't have to worry about him strutting in and pulling a gun on you or using something against _you _to get you involved."

She studied me for a moment, her lips pursed. Sumire was actually a very pretty girl, with a thin stature and eyes the color of emeralds and lips that I'm sure guys stared at while she talked. "Okay," she said fairly. "I can see why he hasn't scared you away yet."

"Why? Because I'm not capable of being scared away?"

"You're too thick-headed to realize you _should _be scared, first of all. And you're the first girl I'm sure he's ever associated with that's ever had good intentions." She smirked, whirling around with a full tray and calling over her shoulder, "For now!"

I guess you could call it a bonding moment, but whatever it was, it made me appreciate her company a whole lot more, and she really wasn't so bad to work with. I asked her if she was attending Ladies' Night at the bar, and she said she went every month and got so shitfaced that she ended up being cut off before it was time to leave. She said it was the only time a girl could get that drunk and not have to worry about guys taking advantage of her, which I suppose made sense.

"You're going too, I presume?" she asked as we left Koko's at the end of our shift. When I nodded, she added, "I'll pick you up. You have something decent to wear, don't you? I've never seen you in anything but those boring black pants and that atrociously boring shirt."

The 'atrociously boring' shirt was the long sleeved one that still covered the healing bruises on my arms. I'd gone to the mall and bought cheap bangles for working at the bar; them, combined with the dark atmosphere, made the discoloration unnoticeable.

"Um…I have my bar uniform?"

"Bar uniform," she scoffed. "I don't think so, honey. I'll bring something over." She gave me a once-over. "You're about my size, maybe a little smaller. Definitely smaller here." She grabbed her chest. "I'll find something. My closet it probably the size of your bedroom."

I didn't call her out on her bragging – according to her, it was best to live up to the title of being rich.

"So, your place at about nine o'clock?" she asked as we reached the end of the sidewalk, where she would go left to her shiny new convertible and I would go right towards my rundown apartment.

I told her my address, and then waved goodbye. Girls' night sounded like something I needed. Especially in the midst of all of this Natsume-Ruka-Yuu-Persona-Hibiki-Me drama.

* * *

><p>Sumire arrived fashionably late – 9:32, but she did arrive with a bang. Like Hibiki and like Natsume, she only waited until the door was opened a crack before barging in the rest of the way, her arms loaded with bags, not even batting a heavily mascara-covered eyelash at the state of the room she'd just walked into. "All right! Let's get started! I've got to decide which one I like best on you!"<p>

"Sumire, I thought I'd remind you that this is Ladies' Night. As in, all girls. Why the hell do we need to get all dressed up? I don't know about you, but I don't swing that way. It's all right if you do, but-"

She waved her hand to shut me up. "You work there and you don't even have all the details. A few of the guys from one of the other bars downtown – _Cowboy's, _you might have heard of it – come down to help wait tables. Have you ever been to _Cowboy's, _Mikan? I feel like you haven't."

I shook my head.

"It's a male strip club. These guys are _H-O-T. _The less clothes you wear, the longer they look at you. The longer they look at you, the better. So let's get this figured out." She opened one of the bags. "This is what I'm wearing." She dumped her bags on the kitchen table and rifled through one of them until she found a bright red sequined top and a black mini skirt. The top was a midriff, the material coming to a loose point at her belly button and leaving a black built in bra to cover her chest.

"You," she went on, digging through them again, "are going to wear this. I'll let you borrow it – I don't think you're in the financial state to buy it off of me." She held it up, a slinky black minidress with a sparkled design on the front and a very open back.

"I'm not wearing that," I objected.

She looked offended. "Why not?"

"Because! It looks like it'll fall right off!"

She threw it at me. "Go put it on. It's actually way comfier than it looks."

I trudged to the bathroom with a glare over my shoulder at Sumire. The bruises on my arms had faded enough that I could cover them with makeup and the bracelets and they'd go totally unnoticed in broad daylight. Since this dress would clearly do nothing to cover my arms, I spent five minutes with my makeup before slipping into the dress and scowling because Sumire was right. It _was _comfortable, even if it did just come down an inch or two past my butt.

"How often do you dress like this?" I called through the closed door.

"Every night! And no, I'm not a hooker. I just like to get my party on! Come out. I want to see."

I came out of the bathroom tugging the hem of the dress further down. She studied me intently for five long seconds, and then nodded in approval. "Doesn't look as good on you as it does on me, but it'll do. My turn."

She flew by me into the bathroom before I could warn her about the state of the bathroom. Her high-pitched scream was followed by her stumbling backwards out of the bathroom, her face a picture of horror. "What the hell is wrong with your bathroom? Don't you ever clean in there?"

"It's clean!" I said defensively. "It's just…in bad shape!"

"_Bad _shape? That's the understatement of the year. Have you considered replacing your toilet? Or fixing your mirror? Or getting new tiles that aren't stained with grime and cracked?"

"You're forgetting my financial situation."

Wiping the horrified look off her face, she straightened her back and crept back towards the bathroom. I actually thought she was going to maintain her composure, but she pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger, muttered, "Ew," and then hurriedly closed herself into the bathroom.

I thought the nose pinching was a little bit of overkill. I mean, I'd cleaned the bathroom top to bottom with disinfectant so strong that Yuu had had to pull me out before I suffocated. It still smelled like cleaner.

Not a minute later, Sumire was leaping out of the bathroom, gasping for air like she'd been plugging her nose the entire time, clad in her bright red top and mini skirt. If she wanted people to look at her, that's what she was going to get. She looked like a model, or a move star. Looking down at myself, my knobby knees and pale skin, it was hard not to be self conscious.

"All right. We're hitting the road." She grabbed my wrist, below the bangles and therefore well below the healing bruises. "Hurry, hurry. Before all of the hunks get their eyes stuck on other girls. Wear those heels." She pointed to the heels I wore to work at the bar. "Those are hot."

"Do you really want to hook up with a guy from a strip club?" I asked, grabbing my keys off of the counter and tucking them into my bra while shoving my toes into the unforgiving material of the high heels. "I mean, shouldn't you be out looking for a guy who can support you?"

She snorted. "I don't want a relationship with the guy," she said. "I just want a…memorable night." She winked, and then took off down the hall, not bothering to wait while I locked up my room and then hurried after her. "And you're forgetting my – what did you call it? – financial situation? I don't need anyone to support me!"

While we walked, I hoped to God her parents didn't cut this girl off. She would be royally screwed.

* * *

><p>The bar was busier than I'd ever seen it, with women of all ages laughing and taking too many shots and batting eyelashes at the shirtless waiters. I tried not to gawk, but some of these guys had six-packs that looked photo shopped and I'd have to be crazy not to find <em>that <em>hard to keep my eyes off of.

Sumire was already on the prowl, scanning each waiter's face – and body, of course – and then appearing to make a mental note in her head. I rolled my eyes at her and looked around the bar, relieved to see we weren't the only ones dressed up.

Anna and Nonoko were sitting at the bar, each with a shot glass in their hands. They were turned in their seats facing each other, grinning, and it looked like Narumi was giving them a countdown from the other side of the counter. When he reached 'one', they tossed the shot glasses back, made faces, and then giggled at each other. Anna was wearing some baby-pink baggy sweater dress that looked shorter than my dress, and Nonoko was wearing short shorts and a black beaded top. Nonoko saw me first, and waved me enthusiastically over.

I grabbed Sumire's arm, ignoring her yelp of surprise, and towed her over to the empty seats next to Anna and Nonoko.

"Mikan!" Narumi greeted, and then wiped a fake tear away from his eye. "You look so grown up!"

"Oh, shush," Anna chided him. "Get her a drink! First one's on the house, Mik!"

I shook my head. "I'm not going to have anything. I'm just here for the fun. Anna, Nonoko, have you met Sumire before?"

Sumire snorted. "We went to school together, dummy. Narumi, get her a Jell-o shooter. And get me two. And then one for Nonoko and Anna, too. Put it on my tab." She leaned on the counter to see around me. "How're my party girls doing? Drunk yet?"

Anna giggled and shook her head. "We just got started. You're in for a treat, Mikan. Sumire's a lightweight. She'll be gone before you know it, flirting with the waiters and trying to coax one of them into inviting her to their bed."

"Has it worked before?" I asked.

Nonoko threw her head back and laughed. "No way, sister. These guys are champs. They've dealt with it all, including over-the-top-creepy girls like our Sumire over there. Still living with mommy and daddy, Sumire?"

Sumire waved her hand dismissively, picking up her first shot glass before Narumi had even set it down on the counter. She pushed one over to me, gave me a look, and then tossed it back.

I looked down at the shot glass, saw Yuka tossing it back, and pushed it towards Nonoko. "You have it. I'm not feeling that great anyway."

Anna downed hers, and then squealed and pointed to the door. "Hotaru came!" She waved her free arm in the air, calling, "Hotaru, Hotaru!"

I followed her gaze, not bothering to disguise my surprise at seeing Hotaru threading her way towards us with her chin in the air like she was disgusted to be here at all. She was dressed modestly in long black pants and a violet blouse, her skin scary-white in the dim lighting of the room.

"Quit gawking, idiot," she said to me as she pulled herself into the seat next to Sumire. "And what are _you _staring at, Permy?"

Sumire choked on her other shot, coughing until she could speak again. "I thought we talked about how much I hate that name."

"We talked about it. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop calling you it."

She cleared her throat again and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "What are you doing coming dressed like _that _to the bar?"

"Easy. I'm not here to pick up girls or waiters."

"I'm only here for the waiters. But seriously, it's the one time you can dress like this and not have to worry about creepy guys trying to molest you on the dance floor." She paused. "Why are you even here? You never go out with us."

"Wait. A. Second," I said, slamming my hands down on the counter. "You _all _went to school together?"

Nonoko nodded vigorously. "Yep. We've been friends since first grade! That's how we know Natsume, too." She winked at me. "Which is also how we know that you've caught his attention."

I rolled my eyes. "Not exactly in the way you would think," I muttered under my breath, and then turned back to Hotaru. "What brings you here, Hotaru?"

She shrugged. "Ruka's out." She motioned to Narumi. "Red wine, slightly chilled, but not too cold."

Narumi didn't even bat an eyelash at her detailed request. "Coming right up!"

It was when he bent over to grab the bottle of wine from under the desk that I noticed Luna on the other end of the bar, chatting up one of the waiters. She was dressed in some slinky silver dress that was so low cut her boobs were practically falling out, and she kept shoving her chest out like she expected the waiter to ogle. Kudos to him for keeping his eyes on her face while she laughed dramatically.

I pretended I hadn't noticed her and watched as Hotaru tested her wine, seemingly satisfied. "Is everything all right with you and Ruka?"

Sumire snorted. "Ruka will do anything for her. Obviously they're fine."

But I saw Hotaru hesitate for just a second before she shot me a glare. "Of course we're fine, dummy. He's allowed to go out."

"All right," I said. "No need to get so defensive."

While Nonoko, Anna, and Sumire continued to motion for Narumi to get them more drinks, and while Hotaru daintily sipped her wine, I sat in the midst of it all and actually had a good time, drinking nothing but a glass of ice water. Anna and Nonoko were hilarious, and Sumire accidentally 'broke the seal' too early, and ended up taking a trip to the bathroom every five minutes. I laughed until I cried, while Hotaru rolled her eyes like we were _so _immature with the tiniest of smiles on her lips.

I forgot about a lot of things; Hibiki, Natsume, Yuu, gangs. At least for a little while. Every time I glanced at Hotaru, her fiery gaze when I'd asked about her and Ruka flashed through my mind, and I remembered, and I wondered. And every time I glanced in Luna's direction, I remembered her throwing that flag, starting that race, leaning down to give Natsume that money like she expected him to invite her along with him.

I suppose, if I hadn't been there, he might've. But I'd leave them to their own devices. Whatever they did was completely up to them.

I kept an eye on Luna for the sole purpose of, at her level of intoxication, I didn't believe it was realistic to expect her to make informed choices. That's why I was sticking around for Sumire, too – that, and she'd parked her vehicle at my house so _somehow _I was going to have to get her home.

So when I saw Luna answer a phone call and the flirty smile fall completely off her face, and then watched her stumble to the exit, I figured I'd better go check on her before she did a face plant in the middle of the road, since _her _friends weren't making a move to look after her. No matter how unpleasant the girl was, I couldn't let her go off on her own. That would be completely unethical.

"I'm just going to go get some air," I announced. Anna, Nonoko, and Sumire just nodded and agreed while they laughed at a joke I didn't get. Hotaru, however, had seen me follow Luna with my eyes, and had that knowing look on her face as I got down from the barstool and made my way to the doors.

I stepped right into a cloud of cigarette smoke the moment I stepped outside. I didn't even have a chance to relish the cool air on my arms and legs before I was coughing and waving my hand in front of my face trying to get a breath of fresh air. The women that were there just laughed at me, so I ignored them and looked both ways down the street before heading in the direction I could see Luna stumbling in.

"Luna?" I called after her. "Luna, I don't think you should be walking anywhere alone!"

She didn't turn around, and instead stumbled around a corner and out of my sight. I followed her like a child following a puppy until I didn't have a clue where I was and it was so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my face. My feet started to ache from the pressure of my high heels, and I think I probably acquired a handful of new bruises from running into walls and tripping over homeless people – not that there were a lot.

I'd stopped calling her name, and had to assume she didn't know I was following her. This worked to my advantage when she eventually stumbled to a disoriented stop in the middle of an opening in an alley, the very same one in which I'd first met Natsume, right outside that club door.

In front of her, Persona stood, flanked by Reo and another man I didn't recognize.

"Dear Luna," Persona said gently, reaching out with his hand that was ghostly white in the dim light of the alley, to touch her face. I shuddered for her. "What brings you to intoxicate yourself to this extreme?"

"Girls' night," she slurred, pushing his hand away. "You boys are really missing out. You should see all the skanky women in there."

Reo gave her a look like he wondered if she knew she was one of those skanky women, and then looked up at Persona. Persona returned his glance with one that was not amused.

"Luna, I have a task for you," he said to her, so quietly that I had to lean forward from behind the wall I was hiding just to catch it. "It is very important that you complete this task, for the good of Natsume."

She straightened immediately. "Anything."

"You see, I want him to make a drug deal. This deal, you see, is peculiar. I want to meet an American friend in order to obtain a large amount of…substance. But he has limited supply, and there are others who want it too. This man, he's a sick bastard. Likes games. He wants it to be a race, since that's what we do. Natsume is my best racer; he always wins. However, he refuses to involve himself with drugs. Luna, my dear, that just won't do."

She nodded eagerly, while I caught my lips between my teeth. "What do you want me to do?"

"Once I get him to agree to it, I'm going to need someone there to make sure he…stays on track, shall we say? You're the only one I could think of that can take time out of her busy schedule, _especially _if it's to help Natsume."

That little snake. He thought he was _so _sneaky with his little manipulative tricks, but he would not get into Natsume's head. For I feared that if Natsume went along with this, he would have dug himself deeper into a hole that he'd drag Yuu and Ruka into with him, and they wouldn't be able to get out.

I left the alley and waited for Luna so that I could follow her back to make sure she didn't hurt herself. She nearly did, too, by twisting her ankle in her deathtrap heels, cursing, and then stomping on the spot like somehow it was the ground's fault. But she made it back to the bar alive, and I made it back torn between being angry and Persona and angry at Natsume for getting himself into this.

Anna, Nonoko, and Sumire did not seem to have noticed my absence, although I must have been gone for the better part of half an hour. Sumire had moved down to where I'd been sitting, and Hotaru remained in her seat, still sipping her wine like she didn't give a damn about anything when I knew that she did and especially about this.

I pulled myself into the seat beside her.

"I trust all went well on your little escapade?" she said monotonously, and then turned to look at me, blinking at the wide eyed look I gave her.

All I could do was shake my head.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello again! Today it was rainy and not very nice, so when I wasn't going for a run in the wind and rain or doing some toning workouts, I was writing! Thank the weather, but not seriously because I'm not enjoying it at all. Back to work tomorrow, so this whole quick update thing might taper off again soon!

I know that many of you are getting antsy for some romance, but I'm still weaving the plot. There is more NatsuMikan interaction in the next chapter, and there will be some juicy stuff in the chapter after that, hopefully, so stay tuned!

_Drink water, not alcohol! :)_

xo.


	12. Blood Ties

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>There are a series of events that led to me eventually standing outside the door of Natsume's apartment room.<p>

Sumire had crashed at my place and then rose absurdly early in the morning so she could make it home and to work in time. All her groaning while she got herself together – about her headache, her muscle ache, and her stomach ache – woke me up too, and I decided that in her weary state it was unsafe for her to drive.

I drove Sumire home, following her directions through traffic to eventually park her SUV outside her huge house that looked more like castle with its brick front and pointed roof. She invited me in – as long as I promised to be quiet – and I waited for her while she got ready, washing off last night's party makeup and last night's party hangover. Not that the hangover went away as easily.

Without ever seeing her parents of any siblings, if she had any, we snuck back out to her SUV and she gave me a ride to Yome's. I'd walk home from there and plot my next move.

That never happened, though. Hotaru and Ruka were both in when we got to Yome's – Sumire insisted I might as well stay for breakfast – and what I'd told Hotaru last night after following Luna had reached Ruka and Koko as well.

Sumire trudged to the back room, muttering something about the bathroom, leaving Koko, Ruka, and Hotaru the perfect opportunity to jump on me with all of their questions.

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Koko demanded, his brow furrowed. "That he wanted Natsume to do the deal, and Luna to go with him?"

I nodded, surprised by the intensity of his voice. "There's no way I could have misheard. That's what he said." I looked from him to Hotaru, and then to Ruka, who had one arm across his chest, the other elbow propped up on the ledge created, and was stroking his chin thoughtfully, frowning. "Can't you talk him out of it?"

Ruka looked up. "I'm going to try. Reo's plenty capable of doing the deal. He's a good racer. Natsume won't accept, unless…" His voice trailed off and he cursed. "Persona's got a lot to use against Natsume. Youichi, us, you."

"Me?" I exclaimed. "How can he use me?"

Hotaru rifled through her purse to produce a picture, and my mouth came unhinged when I saw me and Natsume, tangled in each others' arms, our lips locked. "H-how did you-"

"The how doesn't matter," Hotaru interrupted. "What matters is that Persona knows you and Hyuuga have a relationship, no matter how loose you claim that that relationship is, and he will use you. Hyuuga is too proud to let anyone get hurt because of him, even if there wasn't anything between you."

"There isn't," I insisted. "He was just saving my ass. We've only ever talked a few times. You know, when I stalked him and everything. But other than that, _that_," I pointed at the picture, "was just two teenagers with raging hormones. I think."

Ruka looked sceptical. "I've known Natsume for years, Mikan. And there's something more than raging hormones on his side of things if he hasn't scared you away yet. Something's making him keep you around. I don't know what it is or how you're different, but you're still here and no matter what he says, I don't think Natsume's trying to change that. And _you _would not be so nosy if you didn't care about him in some strange way."

I found myself fighting a blush. "It's physical attraction, okay? That's what is it for me, and that's what it is for him."

"He's not usually physically attracted to loud-mouthed little girls with small chests," Hotaru said blandly.

While I gaped at her, Koko cleared his throat. "You have to make sure he doesn't let Persona trick him, Mikan."

I shook my head. "He won't ever in a million years listen to me."

"We're all going to try," he said. "Natsume's a tough nut to crack; it'll take a few blows before he agrees. You have to, Mikan, otherwise he's going to do the deal because he thinks he has to. And once Persona's gotten him into dealing, there's no guarantee he'll ever get back out."

My breath became shallow as I imagined Natsume becoming like Hibiki or Persona. As much as I hated his attitude, Ruka was right. Somehow, I _did _care about him. Whether it was just as an acquaintance, a friend, or something more that I couldn't even bring myself to think about.

And I couldn't let him throw his life away anymore than I could when I'd first met him.

I sighed in defeat. "Okay. I'll do it."

Ruka nodded. "Good. I'll see him tonight at a race. I'll talk to him then." He reached for Hotaru's hand, and she didn't slap it away like I half thought she would; she entwined her fingers with his before he turned and, with her right beside him, left the store.

Koko was scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "I don't even care if you're late for work," he said, handing me the paper. "Hurry. Bus comes in, like, two and a half minutes. Do your best, Mikan. Even if it requires you satisfying his ego and giving him some lip action."

I clapped my hands over my ears as I jogged to the door. "Gross, Koko! Don't ever say that again!"

That is how and why I found myself standing at Natsume's apartment room door, in this fancy complex that couldn't have been more than a couple years old and was probably fancy enough for celebrities. I'd snuck in by waiting for someone to come in or out – in this case, some lady in high heels had come out – and I'd slipped inside through the unlocked door. I couldn't have rung up to the room Koko had written out on paper for me; there was no way in hell he would have let me up.

Now, I kneaded my fingers together nervously, trying to script out what to say in my head so I wouldn't sound _completely _moronic. The whole 'physical attraction' thing was making it hard, though; knowing Natsume was on the other side of this door had butterflies raging through my stomach.

Not that I'd ever tell him that. Natsume's ego was the last on the planet that deserved to be satisfied.

Catching my breath and drawing my chin up, I raised my fist and knocked on the door. Five agonizing seconds later, the door swung open, and I found myself blinking down at Youichi.

He watched me like he expected me to leave, and then he turned around, leaving the door open, calling, "Natsume, the hag is here," into the apartment.

"Hello to you too, demon child," I muttered, stepping into the room and managing to swallow half my nerves. The other half were twisting my butterfly-filled stomach into uncomfortable knots.

The room was spacious and about a thousand and a half times in better condition than mine, with dark leather sofas and a big TV and walls painted dark brown. From where I stood at the door, I couldn't see past the living room, but I imagined the brightly, naturally lit room down the hall was the kitchen, and that it cost about ten times more than mine.

Youichi had gone to the sofa and picked up a game control from the table before slipping a pair of oversized headphones on and continuing with his game. I half expected to see him shooting things with a huge gun, and was mildly surprised and slightly amused to see him playing _The Simpson's. _

Just a moment later, movement from the hallway to the left, past the living room, drew my attention away from the TV.

Natsume was wearing a pair of dark jeans a plain T-shirt, like every other time I saw him, minus the leather jacket, but this time his hair looked damp and his skin looked flushed like he'd just gotten out of the shower. His expression didn't change when he saw me – surprise, surprise.

"What do you want, Polka?"

"Um…" I said, suddenly forgetting why I was there. In Natsume's room. With Natsume. "Oh, yeah! I'm here to make sure you continue to deny Persona's request to do…" I glanced in Youichi's direction, then lowered my voice. "A drug deal slash race."

He rolled his eyes and turned back down the hallway.

I let out a cry of protest, and then kicked my shoes off and hurried after him, seeing him swing into a room at the end of the hall. I worried it would be his bedroom, and then I would not only be in his apartment room, but his _bed_room, with him there, but it turned out to be a sort of study with a easy chair that was dark leather like the sofas in the living room. He had a book sitting on the arm of it, and when he sat down, he picked it up and flipped it open.

"Hell_ooo?_" I said, irritation flaring. "Are you just going to sit there and ignore me?"

He didn't say anything.

"Seriously, Natsume?" I folded my arms over my chest and stared at him, but got no response other than the barely noticeable furrowing of his eyebrows. "Get a grip before I come over there and sit on you." Even though getting any nearer to him would be dangerous. Stupid raging hormones.

He looked up. "Ruka sent you over here," he guessed.

"Sort of." I shrugged, glad that he'd swatted my empty threat away. "I heard Persona talking to Luna. But it was Ruka's idea for me to come over here. I still don't really understand why he thinks _I _can have any influence on your decision. Probably because I'll annoy you so much you'll have no choice but to listen to me."

He put his book down. "I have no intention of doing what Persona wants."

"But what if he makes you?"

He stood, and the movement put him so close to me that I could smell the soap, the aftershave, whatever it was that was making his freshly-showered self smell so delightful. "I'll do what I have to. At this point, I don't have to do what Persona wants."

I wanted to take a step back, quickly, before the blood pumping in my chest and forcing blood up to my face could make me do something stupid. Stepping back, however, would make him think he was intimidating me, and that was something I would not allow.

Instead, I tilted my chin up so I could look at his face instead of his broad, muscular chest and shoulders. "And if he does threaten you with something, can't you figure a way out of it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer, dummy." I jabbed my finger into his chest angrily. "You can't do it, Natsume. You can't."

"And what makes you think you'll be able to stop me?"

"I'll…I'll…tie you down!" As soon as I said it, I realized how it could be taken the wrong way and clapped my hands over my mouth. "Not to, like, a bed or anything. But maybe the kitchen table…or something. Not on top of it. But to the leg or something. I'd have to knock you out first, though, otherwise-"

"Stop talking, stupid."

I fought the blush with every ounce of my power. "Good idea. But seriously, Natsume." I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, boldly pulling him nearer to me and standing on the tips of my toes so that my mouth could be right by his ear. "You do the deal, you're never getting out. And I know you want out."

He pushed me back gently, his eyes dark. "Like I said, I'll do what I have to." And then he walked around me and out the door.

Not two steps out in the hallway, I caught him by the arm and swung myself in front of him, effectively stopping him in his path. "This is huge, Natsume. From what I heard Persona saying, there's a lot of people who want to win this race and the prize attached. I don't know a whole lot about racing, but I know gang bangers are usually pretty violent. It could be dangerous." I glanced over my shoulder, where we could both hear Youichi making car noises on his game. "You can't leave him."

"It might be better than the alternative." Once again, he brushed by me. "You can leave now, Polka."

"No," I said stubbornly.

He turned back around, and even in the dim lighting of the hallway I could see how dark his expression was. He came right up to me, until his body was flush with mine and I couldn't go anywhere because of the wall behind me. "Someone wiser would already be gone."

I knew when he said 'gone', he meant more than out of his apartment. He meant out of his life. Running away with my tail between my legs.

"I'm not going anywhere, Natsume," I hissed. "I don't care what you say or how long I've known you or how many times we've spoken, I care about you enough that I want to help you."

"I don't care about you."

"I don't care about you not caring about me. Besides, Ruka seems to think differently." When his eyes flashed, I couldn't help but smirk. "So I think we can quit this stupid battle of wills, because the fact of the matter is that you care about me enough that you won't let Persona hurt me and I care enough about you that I won't let you just throw your life away."

He gritted his teeth, like he wanted to throttle me. Kudos for him for containing his anger and sufficing for just slamming his hands on the wall behind me on either side of my head. "You're beyond stupid, Polka Dots. And you need to smarten up before you get seriously burned; be me, or by Persona."

"Stop with the threats," I growled back. His mouth was so close to mine that it was nearly impossible to think coherently. I knew it was just a matter of time before I started spewing sentences that were nonsensical and most likely embarrassing. "They aren't working." With that, I ducked under his arm and headed for the door, before I could do something we'd both regret. "I'm not giving this up. I'll be back before you know it. Nagging, and nagging, and nagging some more." I jammed my feet into my shoes, called a, "Bye, demon child!" over my shoulder, and then slipped out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

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><p>Koko wanted to know everything, and he vowed to pass it on to Ruka so that there was no significant overlapping in our arguments against why Natsume should not do the deal. He didn't get much out of me, though. I was too busy fuming with Natsume's stubbornness and my own scary attraction to that stubbornness. I did mention, however, that Natsume didn't plan on submitting to the wishes of Persona unless he was forced to.<p>

"I don't like the sound of that," he said, wiping the counter with a dirty rag from the nearby sink. "Persona's always has a way to make Natsume do what he wants."

"I don't like it either," I said grumpily. "Don't worry. I'm not done with him yet."

Koko arched one eyebrow until it disappeared under his shaggy mop of hair. "Did you use any…seductive persuasion? Natsume's a man, Mikan. It might work, you know? Him being in the presence of a beautiful, charismatic girl like yourself might convince him."

"He keeps insisting he doesn't care," I said bitterly. "I don't know what Ruka was talking about."

He sighed. "Mikan, Natsume has never had any friends that are girls. All the girls that ever talk to him get the cold shoulder. But not you. Why? Because you won't let him give you the cold shoulder. That's new. I don't think he's ever had a girl as persistent as you trying to be his friend. And I think he likes it."

"But how do you-"

"I've known him since first grade, Mik. I think I can figure out when the guy's got a thing for a girl."

"Koko, he's a hard ass with no heart. Or a very tiny one. There's _no _way he likes me anymore than he likes…that pile of dirty dishes!" I pointed at the pile, and then went to clean them.

"A very tiny one that's slowly growing with each moment you spend annoying him, because you're giving him something to fight for, Mikan. Ruka and Yuu and I, we're already in all of this stuff. He can't fight for us anymore. Now it's just you and Youichi. He needs that."

"Not if it's going to give Persona leverage."

He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that you've been trying so hard to hide the real reason you're here – even if your efforts were futile, since I knew the moment you got here that you weren't here to stay with your aunt or go to school. That's admirable; a teenager trying to start over."

I shot him a worried look, surprised he mentioned it so casually. "Koko, I'm sorry I lied. I just…didn't want anybody to look at me differently."

He winked at me. "You still haven't told me the real reason you're here, though, so I will be looking at you the same as I always did. You did pretty good for yourself, you know? Getting the jobs and everything. The whole reason I didn't want to hire you was because I could tell you were a runaway. Wasn't sure you'd stick around long."

"Wait. I thought you didn't want to hire me because of Natsume and drug stuff."

"That was an excuse so I didn't have to disappoint you by telling you that I knew part of your little secret." He waved at the entrance. "Persona's come in here once; not a huge deal. Natsume's a bit of a different story, but obviously it was useless trying to keep you out of that. You're a magnet for bad situations."

"Sorry," I said automatically, but I really wasn't, because the spotlight was off of Natsume and I could breathe without worrying about getting all flustered.

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><p>I had a nap in the afternoon, worn out from arguing with Natsume and from thinking about this stupid drug deal and worrying about how much trouble I'd gotten myself into by 'establishing familiarity'. And by being a stalker. I mean, come on. What had I been thinking?<p>

I hadn't, obviously. But somehow, despite everything, I wasn't exactly in a place where I regretted what I had done.

The bar, as usual for a Friday night, was incredibly busy, especially with single guys who liked to think my behind was a squeeze toy. Anna told me not to take that crap, so usually I muttered a warning and pointed to the bartenders who were always looking to stop trouble, and the butt-squeezing would stop.

Tips were also good on Friday nights. Anna, Nonoko, and I raked in the dough and by the end of the night, despite sore feet, over-squeezed buttocks, and aching backs, we were in happy moods.

Until I walked out of the bar, calling a goodbye over my shoulder as I headed in the direction of my apartment. Until, as I looked both ways and crossed the silent street, the shriek of my cell phone sliced through the muggy air, startling me into stumbling. Until I cursed as I pulled the stupid thing out of my bra, hurrying to shut the thing up so my heart could stop racing. Until I answered it, wondering who in their right mind would be calling at three in the morning.

"Hello?"

"Mikan, baby, I don't know what to do," came the voice that was hard to understand because it was thickened by tears and came out as a half-wail. "He's been drinking too much and I can't call the police and I think he's dealing drugs and I want you to come home. Baby, please come home. Hibiki's gone mad."

My throat was suddenly very dry, my heart suddenly refusing to beat in my chest, my lungs incapable of breathing. I tried to swallow, but I had no saliva and it hurt more than anything so I sufficed for breathing, "Yuka."

And then the fear set in. Not for me, but for Yuka, because what Hibiki had done to me was still very alive in my mind and my mother was not me. She was Yuka. She was submissive. She would let him hurt her.

And I realized, with a sharp stab of something, that I couldn't let that happen.

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><p>AN: Okay, I've decided that my reason for such frequent updates is that I'm taking up for leaving my readers of _All Star _hanging for over a year. It keeps raining and when I'm not working/working out, there's nothing else to do and quite honestly, this plot is intriguing even _me_.

Stick around for some more NatsuMikan in the next chapter! Which, if things continue as they are, will be up soon!

xo.


	13. Twisted

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

_Piece by piece  
><em>_you broke down every part of me  
><em>_that ever thought I'd never need you, baby._

_-**Twisted, **Carrie Underwood_

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><p>"What are you talking about?" I said numbly into the phone.<p>

"Mikan, I need to get him out of here. He's different. I swear he's different. Come home. Please come home." She wasn't faking; Yuka was about as good of a liar as I was, and she was not lying. Her fear came across in her words, and maybe she wasn't sorry for what she'd done to me, but she wanted me now to save her.

And I had to.

"Is he home?"

"Not right now, but-" She was cut off abruptly by a quick inhalation of air, and in the background I could hear the sound of a door. "Oh, he's home. He's going to kill me." And the line went dead.

I looked at my phone, frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, disbelief warring with fury. Then, gritting my teeth, I turned away from the direction of my apartment, and headed in the direction of the car garage.

I needed a car.

Unsurprisingly, the door was locked when I got there, but where buff guys wouldn't be able to fit through the small window on the side of the building, I was a different story. After much fighting with the wall trying to get up to the window, I eventually scraped my belly across the window frame and did a face plant into the cement floor on the other side.

It was beyond dark inside. Pitch black. I walked with my hands outstretched in the direction I was sure the front door was in, and once my hands found the doorknob, I searched the walls around it for the light switch. I tripped over something that dug into my shin and made me curse, and finally landed with my hand over the switch. I flicked the lights on.

The first thing I did was look down at my shin to see that the tool kit I'd tripped over had gotten through the skin and blood was trickling down my left leg. Unhappy with this and every other reason why I was here, I looked around the garage, spotting Natsume's car immediately, as well as Reo's and four other cars.

I went in search of an office, found the door open, and turned the light on. Besides paper and filing cabinets, there was a piece of wood sloppily thrown together with hooks, and on each hook, a set of keys. Above each hook there was a letter. R, N, T, H, N, and another R. Guessing that they were the first initials of first names, I picked both N's and headed for the lime green car.

This was a bad idea. I knew this was a bad idea. But it was also necessary, so I scrambled in through the open window, realizing that this was a death wish, and tried the first set of keys. They didn't work, so I tossed them in the passenger seat. I held my breath for the next set of keys, but found they didn't work either. Frowning, I pulled myself back out of the window and back to the key hook, where I put the N's back – not necessarily in the right place – and grabbed the H, hoping it was actually by last name.

I'd learned to drive standard myself. My mom hadn't exactly ever taught me, so I'd driven illegally with my learners' licence until I was old enough to get my actual licence. And standard was what I'd learned on. I hadn't, however, ever driven a race car.

Once I tried the H key and the engine came to life, I put the car in neutral and climbed back out of the vehicle in search of a switch to open the garage. Once I found it, I moved the car out of the garage, my hands shaking and my feet reluctant on the pedals. Even the slightest pressure had the engine revving and the car shooting forward.

"Oh, em, gee," I muttered under my breath, and then shut off the car, climbed back out the window, and went back inside to close the garage door. Since I didn't know how to lock the front door if I exited through it, I went back out the window and hurried around to the car before anyone could drive me and see me committing grand theft auto.

It wasn't so much the whole crime I was worried about – it was Natsume when he found out I'd stolen his car.

"Oh well," I said to myself, and fired up the engine once more. "Yuka, you owe me big time."

If I went the speed limit, it would take me approximately four hours to get back to the town I'd grown up in, to do…_something _to save my mother. If I went at the speed Natsume had been going, it'd probably take me less than half of that. But I wasn't a professional race car driver, and I couldn't afford to fill up for gas every half hour.

"This is a bad idea," I muttered to myself. It would be eight in the morning by the time I got home, and provided my stay was less than an hour, it would be noon by the time I got back. Natsume would know his car was missing, I would be dead when I returned, and I wasn't going to be home in time to get to work.

I ended up speeding half the way and doing the speed limit the other half, which cut my time down to three hours, so I was there by seven. Once I got the hang of the shifting and the sensitive steering, it wasn't so hard to drive, as long as I was going straight. I slowed to a near stop for corners, not at all confident that I'd be able to do that whole E-brake trick Natsume did.

By the time the car sputtered to a stop in front of Yuka's house – with only one stop for gas – I was exhausted, but the reason in which I was here was enough to keep me awake as I parked across the street, eyed the car once after I'd climbed out of it, and then jogged for the door.

Hibiki's pickup wasn't in the driveway, but I didn't let myself get my hopes up in case he'd parked in the back and I'd have to deal with him _and _my mother. Wishing that the situation was far different, that I hadn't come alone, and that I hadn't stolen a car to do so, I raised my fist to knock on the door.

It opened three seconds later, the crack filled with the narrow frame of my mother and her pale, pale face, which brought out the dark, almost black, circles under her eyes. When she saw me, she just stared at me, and then she swung the door the rest of the way open and leapt on me.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you so much."

_Missed hitting me, more likely, _I thought wryly, and then pried her off of me. Just the feeling of her arms around me sent chills up my spine. "We've got a long way to go before we're at the hugging stage, Yuka."

She nodded in understanding, and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. I walked into the house after her, feeling my heart drop and my stomach twist and I saw the stairs she'd pushed me down, the vase she'd threatened to throw at me, the tall lamp in the corner that she'd pushed onto me.

She must have read the fear in my eyes, because she took a step back. "I won't touch you," she whispered.

I nodded slowly, and glanced towards the coffee table. No empty beer bottles. I glanced towards the kitchen. No alcohol cluttered the counters or the table. And when she'd hugged me, I hadn't smelt the vile stuff on her, either.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "You quit drinking?"

She nodded eagerly, and then shook her head. "Yes. Well, no. I've cut back. You leaving was a wakeup call, Mikan. I've lived with you for eighteen years. It was scary not having you around."

"Well, I was having a wonderful time on my own," I told her, almost enjoying the way she looked guiltily down at her hands. "Until you called me with a crisis. All right. What's been going on and what do you expect _me _to do about it?"

She looked up again, from under her eyelashes, trying to hide the tears that were flooding her eyes again. Then, she held out her arms to me, and I saw the bruises that were so much like the ones she'd repeatedly given me, and the ones Hibiki had given me days ago. And suddenly, I saw myself in my mom, and realized she was as much a victim here as I had been.

She was my mother, and no matter how much I'd ever thought she'd deserve it, she didn't.

"He's hitting you," I stated, and when she nodded I had to inhale sharply to smother the anger burning in my chest. "And you don't want to call the police, because…?"

She bowed her head in shame. "He'll tell them what…I did to you."

I narrowed my eyes. "And you think that you should get off scot-free?"

"I haven't gotten off scot-free," she insisted, pleading. "I lost you, my only daughter. I got what I deserved, Mikan. I don't deserve to ever have you back. But I know you don't want to be dragged into this, and if Hibiki tells them what I did, you're going to be part of the investigation."

I glanced at my watch. "When does he get home?" As much as I didn't want to, I'd have to talk to him. Yell at him. For my mother. Because she'd given life to me and I guess I owed her that much. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he ever hurt her so bad she didn't get back up. "I stole a car to get here, so this had better be quick."

She looked at the time on the stove. "He'll be home in just a minute."

Not a second later, I heard the sound of the rumbling of a truck, followed shortly after by the slamming of a car door and footsteps up the driveway. I held my breath, bracing myself, and heard Yuka's whimper of terror as she stepped further back into the living room.

The door swung open and Hibiki looked up, surprise registering on his face when he saw me standing there with my arms over my chest, glaring like he'd just killed a puppy. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you to keep your hands off of my mother," I hissed. "Because if you touch her again, then I will call the police. And when you try to tell them what she did to me, I'll deny it. And I'll deny it, and I'll deny it. Because as far as anyone else is concerned, it never happened. The latest bruises will be from you. I left because of you as much as I left because of her, so that won't be admissible either."

His mouth moved, but he couldn't seem to make a sound.

"I want you to get your stuff and leave," I said darkly. "And never, ever come back here. Never try to contact me, or my mother, ever again. Because if the police don't work, I'll figure out a way to make sure Persona stops supplying to you. And then what are you going to do, Hibiki?"

"You…know Persona?" he managed to say.

"Very well," I lied. "So get out of here. I'll have Yuka put all your stuff on the doorstep. You're going to turn around right now, and you're going to march your way back to your truck, and you're going to come back later, get your stuff from the driveway, and you're going to find somewhere else to live. And if you ever set foot in this house again, I'll find out, and I'll make sure you regret it."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but since I had too much hanging over his head, he sufficed for shooting a glare over my shoulder to Yuka and saying, "You bitch," before turning and stomping out of the door, slamming it hard enough behind him that the whole house shook.

Yuka collapsed on the couch, bursting into tears. I fought the burning in my eyes and looked down at her. "Put his stuff on the driveway. And don't have any of that relapsing crap I hear about on TV, where the woman thinks she made a mistake by kicking the guy out. You supported me well enough, so you can support yourself."

"Mikan, stay," she pleaded.

I shook my head, finding that there was no part of me that wanted to stay here with her, no matter how sad she looked. My mother hadn't been much of a mother for eighteen years; there was no way she was starting now.

"I'm happy where I am," I told her. "Happier than I ever was here, and that's not going to change. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to return this stolen car before the owner murders me and throws my body in a river to never be found." I turned on my heel, marching for the door, and hadn't gotten down the steps when she was coming after me.

"Mikan, wait. Take this."

I turned around, saw her standing in the door holding out a box to me, and went back up to her. I knew she was trying to guilt trip me, but it wasn't going to work. "All right. What is it?" I took the small box, but it was tied shut.

"Pictures. Just so you know it wasn't always like this." Her hand lingered on my arm a moment longer, gentler than it had ever been before, and then she closed the door.

I put the box in the passenger seat of Natsume's car, and didn't look at it the whole way back home.

* * *

><p>It was past eleven by the time I got back, and I was beyond tired. Somewhere on the drive I'd called Koko and told him I'd had something to do last night and wasn't going to be able to make it back in time for work, and by the sound of his voice – irritated, but slightly amused – I guessed he knew I'd stolen Natsume's car. He told me not to worry about coming in to work for the day, even though I protested, saying I could take a later shift.<p>

I wasn't exactly sure what to do when I got back to the shop and stared at the closed doors. Completely bagged, I turned the car off and thought about leaving it there for someone to come across, but since I was sure Natsume already knew I had it, I got out, gathered my things, and went to the side door, finding it unlocked.

There were three people in the shop, presumably waiting for me. Natsume, Hotaru, and Ruka.

"Hey…" I said slowly, and then tossed Natsume his keys while he stared at me like I'd grown another head. "I filled it up with gas for you?"

"Mikan, where have you _been_?" Ruka demanded. Out of the three of them, he was the only one that showed any emotion, and he was very clearly worried and maybe a little bit upset. Not that I'd blame him. I broke into his garage and stole his best friend's car. "We were so worried about you-"

"No we weren't," Hotaru said blandly.

"-and you didn't even call!"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about the fact that I borrowed Natsume's car? Without permission…?" I asked timidly, mostly because I didn't want to answer where I'd been with Natsume standing right there, staring at me like he already knew. "I mean, not that I want you guys to be mad. I didn't crash or anything. And I mostly did the speed limit."

"Shut up," Hotaru said. "What we want to know is where you've been."

"That's kind of my business, isn't it…?" I tried.

"You made it our business by stealing the car," Ruka said dryly.

"Borrowing! I just borrowed without permission." I pressed my high heels, my cell phone, my wallet, and the box Yuka had given me into my abdomen, wishing I could make myself smaller and wishing Natsume would stop staring at me with those unnerving eyes. "I went to see my mom. She called me and said she needed help. I couldn't just…not help her."

Ruka turned to look at Natsume, who continued to stare at me. "This is worse than I thought." He ran his hand through his blonde hair before he reached down and grabbed Hotaru's hand. "Natsume, I think you have some things to ask her."

Natsume stormed past me. "Polka, you're coming with me."

I cast Ruka and Hotaru a helpless glance. "Do I have to?"

Ruka nodded. "Unfortunately, you do. Otherwise he'll make you."

I groaned, turned, and ran out the door after Natsume. "It's not a big deal, all right? I only saw Hibiki for, like, two minutes, tops. And that was just to get him to leave Yuka alone. Nobody saw me."

"Get in the car," he ordered, swinging himself into the drivers' seat.

I was careful not to pay attention to his biceps flexing, because that would make sitting beside him in the car that much more difficult. Instead, I focused on getting into the car without showing him my undergarments, and then on putting my seatbelt on.

"You must have been worried about me, huh?" I said, for the sole purpose of filling the silence.

"I wasn't worried about you, Polka," he said, with a tinge of what I guessed was annoyance. "I don't want you in the way."

"I know you're lying. That's why you're so mad. And remember, we had this discussion yesterday. There's really no point in continuing to argue with me about it, because I _know _you were worried." Really, I had no idea. I was just trying to keep the conversation off of what I knew was coming.

"You're bad for business, stupid. The more Persona wonders about you and how you're tied to your mother, the less he deals. The less he deals, the less money he makes. And the less money he makes, the less money I make."

I nodded in understanding. "Right. And you've got a kid to support." Before he could say something else about my mother, I said, "Put your seatbelt on." When he ignored me and released the emergency brake, putting the car into gear, I pulled the brake back up, engaging it again. "Seriously. Seatbelt."

He shot me a murderous glare and released the brake again. As soon as he moved his hand to shift into first gear, however, I pulled the brake back up.

"I'll put it on for you," I threatened. "Seriously, Natsume. You're driving really, really dangerously fast. The least you could do is protect yourself against serious fatalities by strapping yourself in."

"If I crash this car going that fast, it's not going to matter if I'm wearing a seatbelt. It'll be fatal either way."

Instead of making a comment about how unsafe that made me feel, I squared my jaw in determination before trying to catch him with a surprise attack. I unlatched my own harness and started to lunge at him to force the belt over his solid chest, but before I could even get that close he caught both of my wrists – incredibly gently – and forced me back into my seat. Next thing I knew, he'd pulled the harness around me – with my arms folded against my stomach and trapped within the belt.

I squirmed, but it was too tight to free my hands. "You've got to be kidding me." Fuming, I swung my gaze to Natsume, who was cockily putting the car in gear, without his seatbelt on, and leaving the parking lot.

"After stealing my car and taking it on a joyride, the least you can do is keep your hands off of the brake, and stop trying to molest me."

"Oh, please," I said snidely. "Don't be so full of yourself. I was not trying to molest you, I was trying to reinforce safety rules that parents have taught their children from the early ages. Well, Yuka never told me about seatbelts. My first grade teacher did. But that's beside the point." I resumed glaring. "You're _so _mature Natsume."

He didn't smirk, which was the first warning that I was in deep shit. As the silence lingered on, I wondered what it was that he was so angry about – besides the whole ordeal with the car – and worry began to set in when I thought that maybe someone _had _seen me at my mother's house.

He parked in the lot of his apartment, which I think was weird since I was pretty sure he usually kept the stupid thing at Ruka's shop. He got out without a word to me and headed for the building, leaving me in the harness.

"Natsume!" I called. "I'm stuck!"

"Get unstuck," came his bland reply.

I twisted my body in ways I didn't even know were possible until I eventually freed one of my hands, unbuckled the harness, and scrambled out of the car, gathering my wallet and my box in my arms, leaving my heels and my phone in the car, and running after him.

"The silent treatment isn't going to explain anything," I protested, running up the stairs after him, which is what I had to do in order to keep up with his long strides that were so relaxed it irritated me. "This isn't just about me stealing your car, is it? I mean borrowing. I borrowed it."

He opened the door to his apartment room and strode in, heading straight for the kitchen. I hurried in after him, closed and locked the door, kicked off my shoes, and followed him. I was right behind him when he turned around and stopped abruptly, so I bounced off of him and nearly fell flat on my behind.

Scowling, I regained my balance and glared. "A little warning next time."

"What's in the box?" he demanded.

I looked down at the box in my hands, and then hid it behind my back. "None of your business."

He closed his eyes, apparently to calm himself, before he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before he tossed it at me. I was surprised he trusted me to catch it, but I did, and when I saw a blurry, unprofessional picture of me standing on the doorstep of my mom's house, her handing me a box, it all became painfully clear.

I looked up, wide-eyed, and brought the box back in front of me, lunging for the table so I could put it down and rip the top off. Then, I turned it upside down and dumped the contents on the surface, sending a giant stack of pictures scattering.

"They're just pictures," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. I knew what this meant. I understood why Hotaru, Ruka, and Natsume were so angry. I understood why Koko sounded like he had. "Natsume, they're just pictures."

He looked at them, and then back up at me. "Persona doesn't think that."

"Oh, my God." I pushed my hands into my hair and collapsed into the nearest chair. "Oh, my God. He thinks I'm working for Hibiki. He really does. Natsume, I kicked him out. That's why I was there. I was telling Hibiki that he had to leave."

"That doesn't change what Goro saw, and what Persona thinks."

I glanced at the pictures, saw one of me as a child, and picked it up. In the picture, I was sitting on the ground, a huge smile on my tiny face, and Yuka was crouched in front of me, holding her hands up like she was playing Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake with me. She was smiling, too.

"Was this Goro guy keeping tabs on me?"

He shook his head. "Persona had lost interest until Goro sent that to him. He was keeping tabs on Hibiki and Yuka. Now Persona thinks you're competition."

I looked up at him, feeling the color drain out of my face. "Natsume, Persona doesn't really strike me as the type of guy that likes competition."

"He doesn't."

"What's he going to do?" I whispered.

"I don't know," he admitted.

I shot to my feet, hurriedly gathering all the pictures together and stuffing them back into the box with trembling hands. "Maybe if I talk to him. Maybe if I show him what's in the box, he'll believe me."

Before I could slip by him, Natsume grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "He won't believe you. He'll think you took whatever was in the box out and put the pictures in. And then you'll be walking right into his hands."

I forced myself to take three deep breaths, and then I swallowed my panic, trying to pick up on the calm that was emanating off of Natsume. "Okay. Then what do you propose we do?"

"You stay away from your mom and Yuka, and stay away from Persona. And while you're at it, stay away from me. I'll talk to Persona."

He started to turn away, but I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back. Fear had made itself small in the back of my mind, scared away by the anger Natsume had a habit of installing in me. "No," I said through my teeth. "Don't ask me to leave you alone, Natsume. I can't do it, and I won't do it."

"You're stupid, Polka Dots."

"I know. You've said it about a thousand times already. But I don't care. I'm not going to just forget about you."

And for once, he didn't smirk. He didn't look at me like I was just another girl falling at his feet, because I think he knew that I wasn't. It was just our hormones. That's how I would justify him leaning down and pressing his mouth to mine for the second time since I'd met him.

It was a little less shocking this time, but still hugely unnerving. Because I'd never felt such intense butterflies before and it scared the living daylights out of me. Scared me, and yet I kissed him back with everything in me.

I got a little disoriented when he spun me around so my back was pressed against a wall, but I remained sure-footed and didn't trip. That would have been embarrassing. Imagine, kissing a guy like Natsume and then tripping.

Unlike last time, when my hands had been stubbornly clenched on his chest and had remained there because I'd been too shocked to do much else, this time they slid up his chest and around his neck and eventually weaved into his mess of raven hair. And stayed there, while our battle of wills was carried out through this crazy sensual kiss that had my knees turning to Jell-o and every thought, every worry, getting lost somewhere in the pleasure.

I pulled away for barely a second, long enough to get a breath and mutter, "Why are you doing this?"

And he replied with, "I do what I want."

I pulled away again to say, between breaths, "But you keep calling me stupid." His mouth came back down on mine, and I had to wait before I could finish with, "And you always say I'm in the way. You're kind of-" Another kiss. "-contradicting yourself."

"Shut up, stupid."

Instead of replying, I pulled myself up and wound my legs around his waist so I could stop standing on my tiptoes – it got pretty painful – and maybe a little bit because I felt like I needed to get closer to him.

_Just hormones, _I assured myself. _You are _not _letting Natsume win by being another stupid girl who thinks he's amazing._

And then I realized, with a start, while his lips were still attached to mine, that those other girls didn't _know _him. They just liked what they saw, which already made me different because I _did _know him. And deep, deep down, I kind of liked what I knew.

Or, my hormones did. Just my hormones.

It took me awhile to realize that I could hear ringing, beyond the ringing in my ears. Natsume pulled away, and I unhooked my legs from his waist while he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and turned around, heading back to the kitchen as he answered it. I was glad for that, because my knees gave out and I had to grab the wall for support and that was the last thing I wanted him to see.

"Yeah," I heard Natsume say into his phone, in his gruff, deep, incredibly sexy voice. "Everything is fine. I'll be there."

_Crap. I just used the word sexy to describe an aspect of Natsume._

I bit my lip, forcing the realization out of my head because I couldn't deal with it right now. Not after everything. I pulled my skirt further down my legs, suddenly aware of how bare I was.

Natsume came around the corner, but didn't look at me, and instead walked towards the door. "Leave, Polka."

"But-"

"Leave."

I rolled my eyes, rubbing at my lips with my hand as I went to the kitchen to retrieve the box that had got me here, trying to erase the tingling. He walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open so I could close it behind me after I'd jammed my feet into my flip flops.

"Don't contact Yuka or Hibiki again until I say you can," he said as he walked.

"I'll never contact Hibiki, and if my mom contacts me, then I'll let you know before I borrow your car." I followed him outside into the thick air, suddenly aware of how tired I was.

He turned halfway around when he reached his car, like he wanted to say something more while he melted me with that smouldering gaze of his. But he wordlessly turned back around, hoisted himself into his car, and ripped out of the parking lot without a second glance back.

Natsume scared me. Not in the way that I believed he'd intended to scare me when we'd first me. Quite the opposite, actually. He scared me because this growing attraction was starting to feel less like hormones and more like a crush. And the closer I got to him, no matter how hard I'd been trying to do so, would only end up getting me burned. It always did.

Just as suddenly as the idea came, I shook it off. It was still physical attraction. I don't think I'd ever have a crush on a guy that left me standing outside his apartment as he raced off in a race car.

* * *

><p>AN: Everybody's excitment with my fast updates is seriously motivating me! Thanks, you guys! And also, the rainy weather is pretty motivating too when there's nothing else to do ;) but mostly it's my readers! I was actually going to wait until a little bit later to upload this, because I love when I upload a chapter before bed and check my email in the morning and see all my support! But, alas, I am uploading now because I am far too kind to make any of you wait when you've all been so wonderful!

Oh my, oh my! Tell me what you think! See you next time!

xo.


	14. Shake Hands with the Devil

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>Say goodbye,<br>As we dance with the devil tonight  
>-<strong><em>Dance with the Devil, <em>**_Breaking Benjamin_

* * *

><p>It rained a lot over the next few days. I mean, a <em>lot<em>. For three days straight, when it wasn't a torrential downpour, there was a constant drizzle that made it impossible to get anywhere dry unless you had an umbrella. And an umbrella was something I didn't have. Every morning I got up, I'd do my hair, then I'd walk outside and it would be like I stuck my finger in a light socket – frizzy. I rocked the ponytail at both jobs while the rain lasted.

I found out, on Monday when I'd been putting myself together for work at the bar, that I'd left my phone and my high heels in Natsume's car. A very colourful sequence of words had escaped my lips as I ran down the stairs and sprinted the six blocks – well, sprinted some, walked when I was tired – to the car garage. Natsume wasn't there, but Ruka had my phone and high heels.

I did a very thorough inspection of my phone to see if Natsume played any of those immature tricks like changing the language or changing my contacts to Harry Potter names. But no, the only difference was that 'Natsume Hyuuga' was now a contact on my phone. Even though my heart fluttered, I had a feeling Ruka had made that, not Natsume.

Koko wasn't very informed on what was going on. All that he knew was that I'd committed grand theft auto and gone on a road trip, but he didn't know where I'd gone or why Natsume was so pissed about it. I didn't tell him, because I had a bad feeling growing stronger with each day that passed where I didn't see Natsume.

I'd stopped being scared. I was a little bit mad at myself for putting myself in this situation by not telling anyone where I was going, and by letting that picture be taken when it screamed _drug deal_, but I wasn't scared anymore. I couldn't afford to be scared of Persona. That was what he wanted, and that was one thing I for sure never had to give him.

I liked going to work at the bar, because no one there – aside from Luna – knew what I was dealing with. Even Luna didn't really. All she knew is that I happened to be in Natsume's car with him when I'd first arrived here. But otherwise, it was like walking into a totally different life, one that wasn't haunted by the threat of drugs and bets and races.

On Tuesday, I was beyond tempted to approach Luna and tell her that she wasn't doing Natsume any favours by agreeing to go with him on the deal, provided Persona got him to do it. I wanted to tell her that Persona's threats were empty, that he was saying it was for 'Natsume's own good' just to get her to go because he knew she'd do anything for him if it meant he'd give her the time of day.

I couldn't honestly believe that Persona would do anything to Natsume. He was far too valuable to his business with his knack for never losing and for being so tough that no one stood up to him and won.

Not that Natsume would do the deal. Because we'd find a way to make sure he didn't.

I equally liked going to work at Yome's, however, because the people there were so characteristic and different and I didn't care what they were into, because I liked them all. Ruka's grinning flamboyance and the way he always looked at Hotaru, ready to impress her. Hotaru's way of looking at him like nothing he could do would ever impress her. Koko's way of making things looks less bad than they were.

Natsume did not come into the bar or Yome's for the next several days. I didn't ask, and I tried not to wonder. But Koko knew, even though he didn't say anything, and Daichi definitely knew, and didn't mind talking.

"He leaves for periods of time," he said, so out of the blue one afternoon that I had to pause a second and wonder who he was talking about.

"Oh, you mean Natsume."

He chuckled. "Don't say his name like you're cursing him to hell, sweetheart. He's got the best intentions."

I rolled my eyes. "I highly doubt that."

He propped his elbow up on the counter, chewing a toothpick out of the corner of his mouth. "So, what's the deal? You two have a relationship now?"

"No," I replied, honestly enough. What Natsume and I had could not be called a relationship. Mutual attraction is what it would be named, and that's what it would stay. "I'm just worried about him."

He nodded in understanding. "Don't let him catch you saying that, though. Natsume claims he doesn't need anybody to worry about him. Mind you, Ruka worries enough for the whole world."

"You talking about me?"

I hadn't noticed Ruka walk into the shop, which was the first indication that I'd better snap out of it and start doing my job. I managed to grin at him wholeheartedly, and then shot Daichi a look that warned him to stop talking about Natsume. He chuckled and took a sip of his coffee as Ruka sat down beside him.

"Good afternoon, Ruka!" I said cheerfully. "What can I get you? Coffee?"

"Yes, please." He shivered. "This weather is atrocious."

I patted my ponytail, thinking of all the wasted effort that had gone into it these past few mornings. My optimistic thinking that if I did my hair again, even though it was ruined the day before because of the rain, it would be fine by the time I got to work, but very obviously not working. "Atrocious, is right."

I was alone in the store this afternoon, which was fine by me because it was so dead that having two people would mean having half the amount of work and I was bored with the full amount of work. While I poured Ruka's coffee, I scanned the few customers for any signs of something to do, and saw none.

I slid Ruka's coffee across the counter to him with the usual added in already. "What brings you in this afternoon?"

He looked up at me, his bright blue eyes slightly worried – as they always seemed to be – and maybe a little bit curious. "I haven't heard from Natsume these last couple of days. It's not that he hasn't been around. He's been ignoring my calls. It rings two or three times and then goes to voicemail."

I frowned. "Doesn't sound like he's being very mature."

"He's not. I was wondering if you'd seen or heard from him."

"Since Saturday, you mean? No." I snorted. "If he's ignoring and or avoiding you, there's no way I'm going to end up seeing him. I swear he thinks I'm the Plague." Except when he kisses me. Because obviously I'm not so scary then.

He sighed, took a drink of his coffee, and shivered again. "I hate when he goes into one of his 'moods'. He acts like such a child."

I topped off Daichi's coffee for something to do and turned back to Ruka. "Were you mad? When he did that race for you, I mean."

He didn't look surprised that I knew. "Not at first. At first I was overjoyed. Because he'd won, first of all, and because he'd gotten me out of trouble. I got mad when I realized that him getting me out of trouble had done. When Persona first called me asking how he could reach Natsume, I told him to screw off and leave him alone. But Persona's persistent and he has his ways." He sighed. "And now Natsume's as deep into this as I am."

I looked down at my hand as it habitually dragged a damp cloth across the counter. Persona was a raging lunatic who needed to be stopped. That much I was sure everyone knew. But no one knew how to stop him. And I needed to find something.

"How did you and Hotaru meet?" I asked. "I know you went to the same school, but she doesn't really strike me as…the dating type. You know?"

Daichi hooted. "Ah, this is a good story. I can hear it twenty times and still marvel at the girl and her wickedness."

A faint tinge of pink exploded across Ruka's cheeks and nose, but he cleared his throat and straightened in his seat. "Honestly, all through school, I thought that Hotaru was the devil in disguise. She knew everything, first of all. And her stupid camera." Even as he said the words, his eyes were gleaming and his lips were resisting a faint smile.

I glowered, remembering the picture of me and Natsume tangled in each other, of me in Natsume's car, and how none of that was any of Hotaru's business. "Stupid camera."

"She blackmailed me with my involvement in the gang," he went on. "For years. I mean _years_. I couldn't catch a break. She had pictures, she had proof, and if any of that came to light, my reputation at school would go out the window, and I'd probably get expelled. Since I was actually concerned with my schooling, I went along with it. She made sure I knew it was her that was doing it, just so she could torment me some more."

Didn't sound like Hotaru had changed much over the years.

"Persona called me up some time when we were in grade eleven, and told me that I would be attending some extremely valuable supplier's dinner party, and that it would be suitable if I were to find someone to come along with me so I looked less out of place. No one could have been more surprised than I was when Hotaru was the first person I thought of. So I asked her out."

I frowned. "And she said yes?"

Daichi started laughing; Ruka shot him a glare. "No. She definitely said no. But I was not going to go to that stupid dinner party without her. All I had to do was tell her all of the people who were going to be there were gang-related and that there were bound to be some compromising situations that she could catch on her stupid camera."

I nodded in understanding. "That sounds more like Hotaru."

He held up his finger. "She still didn't say yes right away. In order for her to 'grace me with her presence', as she put it, I had to first take her out to _Red Lobster. _She has a thing for crab, wouldn't you know it?"

I stared at him for three long seconds with a straight face before pinching my lips together to stifle a laugh. "She emptied your wallet for the night, didn't she? I can _totally _picture that!"

He snorted. "My wallet? More like my bank account. I don't know how that girl eats so much."

"She's not human, Ruka," Daichi said sombrely. "Of course she can eat inhumane amounts."

Ruka shot Daichi a glare that was about as serious as Daichi's comment – not serious at all. "Hey, that's my girlfriend you're talking about."

"_Monster_friend," Daichi corrected.

"Oh, she's not that bad," I said, waving my hand. "She's just a little intense."

Ruka patted Daichi on the back before looking up at me. "Daichi's just joking around. But you can't ever tell Hotaru about this conversation, Mikan. Or we'll all be killed slowly and painfully."

I looked over his shoulder, my eyes widening in horror. "Oh, hey, Hotaru."

Both Daichi and Ruka whirled around in their seats, to find that Hotaru wasn't there. I walked around the counter, doubled over in laughter at the expressions on their faces, and had to grab the edge of the counter for support until I'd regained my composure.

"You're as evil as she is!" Daichi exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," I said, wiping a tear shed from laughter away from my eye. "I couldn't resist." Before either of them could throw their coffee at me, I swept away to check on the three other customers in the shop, and then went over to the gas bar side of things just as a teenager walked in to pay. After I'd helped him, I wandered back over to Daichi and Ruka.

Ruka still looked a little bit panicked, so I couldn't resist the second round of laughter that was entirely unprofessional but that I just couldn't help. He glared at me once I'd recovered enough to notice.

Daichi stood up, sliding his change to me across the counter. "Well, I'd better get out of here before the girl gives me another heart attack. Heartless, Mikan. Just heartless. See you around, Ruka!"

I grinned and took his money, then waved. He shot me a glare that wasn't serious, and then walked out of the shop guffawing.

"Okay. I'm sorry. That was really mean. But you really should have seen your faces. I kind of wish Hotaru _was _here, just so she could have gotten a picture of that." I grinned. "Sorry."

He took a long drink from his coffee mug. "She would have kicked me out if she'd heard us talking."

I shook my head. "Nah. She likes you too much."

He smiled faintly. "I like to think so."

"She wouldn't put up with all of this gang drama if she didn't. Hotaru doesn't strike me as the type to put up with stuff if there's nothing in it for her."

He wagged his finger at me. "Right you are. I think she likes you, in her weird way. She doesn't like a lot of people, so you should be honoured."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. It's weird, too. Usually she only admires people who think before they act."

I frowned. "Thank you very much."

"Oh, I didn't mean that to be offensive! It's a very endearing quality you have. And obviously Natsume likes it, too." He folded both hands around his coffee mug. "I'd like to know what's going on between you two."

I looked down, suddenly busy with drying dishes that were already dry. "What are you talking about? There's nothing going on between me and Natsume." As soon as I said it, I realized how futile it was to lie. "Okay, I told you already. I'm attracted to him. Physically."

He arched an eyebrow. "I have this feeling that you're trying to say it as many times as possible to convince yourself, not other people."

"Not true." Although that did make a little bit of sense.

"What did you say to him when he took you back to his apartment? I've been trying to ask him about it but he keeps ignoring my calls." He raised an eyebrow. "So what did your mom give you?"

"Pictures," I replied, and felt a surge of anger at Persona having someone keeping tabs on my mom and catching me in hot water. "From when I was little. It's really complicated, but it meant a lot to me. I'm not working for Hibiki, Ruka."

"I didn't think you were. Neither did Natsume."

"But Persona does," I said sadly. "I really am just causing a boatload of trouble."

He shook his head. "You're doing Natsume a lot of good, as much as he'll deny it and as much as he acts like you don't. You're healthy for him, Mikan, and I really ought to be thanking you for that."

_Don't thank me until you're all safely out of this, _I wanted to say, but I didn't want to get his hopes up that I was capable of getting them all away from Persona until I had a way to do that.

"Healthy how?" I asked instead, for conversation sake and because I was curious.

He shrugged. "Well, the more time he spends with you – or, I guess, the more time you spend with him, chasing him, stalking him, all in ways different than the way other girls do – the less time he spends brooding. The less time he spends brooding, the less I have to worry about him doing something stupid."

"What do you mean?" I gasped, slamming my hands down on the counter. "He's not depressed, is he?"

"No! God, no. He just thinks everything is his responsibility. He's always brooding because he's always thinking of ways to take care of everybody, make sure nobody gets hurt because of him. All of that brooding just makes him come across as an asshole, which is why it was totally understandable that you thought he was one."

"I still think he is one, but only fifty percent of the time."

Before I could reply, his phone, which was sitting on the counter beside his coffee mug, began to vibrate, moving itself across the surface until his hand closed around it and he picked it up. He held his finger up, excusing himself from our conversation, and flipped the phone open. "Persona."

Swallowing thickly out of a mixture of unease, fear, and hate boiling in the pit of my stomach, I moved away from the counter and did another round of the shop, refilling customers' coffee and staying politely away from the counter so I couldn't hear Ruka's conversation, no matter how curious I was.

When I saw him snap the phone shut and run his hand through his hair – a nervous gesture I'd seen him use more than once – I felt compelled to nearly sprint back over to the counter.

His face was scary pale, accentuating the dark circles under his eyes that I hadn't noticed before. His eyes were no longer a gleaming shade of blue; they'd turned grey and heavy like there was a storm in them. His mouth was drawn in a thin, straight line, and his cheeks suddenly seemed sunken.

"What?" I asked fearfully, panic exploding in my stomach. "What did he say?"

For a moment, he was silent, as if he hadn't heard me. Like he was lost somewhere so deep in his thoughts that my voice couldn't reach him. "Ruka!" I demanded. "What did he say!"

His eyes, distant, flickered to mine. "Natsume's agreed to do the deal."

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><p>AN: Short chapter? Yes. Unfortunately, the next one will also be short. I really wanted to upload this last night, but I was so tired after work, I just couldn't finish it. But it's here now! I'm going to try to get one more chapter in by tomorrow, because I'm going to be gone until Tuesday and therefore, not writing. But I will hopefully have something for you immediately after I get back!

I'm also going on vacation starting next weekend, but I do plan to bring my laptop and continue to write. However, if I don't have internet access, I will not be posting. But we'll see! Thanks so much for the reviews everybody! I read all of them, and if I don't reply to questions you ask it's because I plan to answer them in future chapters!

**Note: **_A lot _of you have been asking me to do a Natsume POV chapter, and I think it's a great idea! However, I don't know if I'll be able to do Natsume's character justice because a) I'm not a guy, and b) Natsume is a man of little words so it's hard to picture what he might be thinking. But I'll try my hand at it and if I like the result I'll make a chapter out of it!

Thanks again guys!

xo.


	15. Weak

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>My hands, they're strong,<br>But my knees were far too weak,  
>To stand in your arms,<br>Without falling to your feet.  
>-<strong>Set Fire to the Rain, <strong>Adele_

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><p>The world must have been flipped upside down or something. That was the only explanation as to why, after how much I'd despised Natsume when I'd first met him, I was here at his doorsteps for the third time in one week. And like I always seemed to be when I was on my way to confront Natsume, I was seething.<p>

I had not counted on being so lucky this time around, arriving at the apartment just as someone walked in or out to save me from being denied entrance when I rang up his room. Hence the reason Ruka had left Yome's and come back at the end of my shift – in a normal, silver sports car, the same one I'd seen him in when I first met him – in order to ring up Natsume's room for me to be granted access.

He was not coming up with me, however. Why?

"He's been ignoring me, remember?" Ruka had answered when I'd asked. "And you're refreshing. If I were Natsume, I'd rather talk to you than me anyway."

"But he's your best friend. And if he's ignoring you, why would he let you up?" I'd added, pointing at the apartment complex as he pulled into the parking lot.

"Ignoring my calls is one thing," he'd said. "Not letting me see him is a totally different deal. I'll talk to him tomorrow at our next race, try to talk him out of it. Mikan, I want you to find out what Persona's got on him this time."

By giving me a goal to work towards, Ruka had successfully upped my confidence significantly. He probably did it because he knew – based on prior experience of me stalking his best friend – that determination was my forte. But it worked and I was determinedly angry as Ruka pressed the button for Natsume's room and waited.

"What?" came Natsume's annoyed reply.

"Just me," Ruka said, feigning a joyful, upbeat tone. I wasn't fooled, and I doubted Natsume was either. He could probably hear the undertone in Ruka's voice, the one that hinted at fury.

"Go get 'im," Ruka muttered to me when the door buzzed, indicating it was open. I laughed nervously before waving at him, pulling the door open, and slipping inside.

I took my time going up to the room, trying to script what I was going to say so that I didn't end up sounding like a total moron. Not that that would surprise Natsume. Oh, who was I kidding? One look at the brooding idiot would have any sensible thought flying out my ears anyway. There was really no point in a plan.

I knocked on the door, half-expecting the demon child to answer it. Instead, I found myself looking at a bare-chested Natsume.

In the first second I registered how tan he was. In the second second, I acknowledged his contoured chest and washboard abs. In the third second, it processed that I was standing before a half-naked man, ogling, and blood rushed to my face in the same instant I leapt back crying, "Why are you answering the door with no shirt on when I was supposed to be Ruka? Is there something you're not telling me?"

He probably rolled his eyes, because he didn't say anything and when I dropped my hands I saw that he'd been holding a shirt in his hand and as he turned to walk back into the room, he slipped it on. But not before I got a glimpse of his defined back muscles.

I was a sucker for back muscles. Not that I was a sucker for Natsumes, however. Natsumes were jerks.

"What are you doing here?" he said, like it was a _huge _inconvenience that I was there. I had to hand it to him though; he didn't do awkward, which, after sharing another scarily passionate kiss with him, I'd been worried about.

I marched into his apartment, liking the familiar smell of him. I did a visual sweep of the hallway and living room, and then listened for a moment. When there was no sign of the demon child, I slammed the door closed behind me with enough force for him to give me a half-hearted glance over his shoulder at me.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"Well, until you showed up here, I was minding my own business, putting my clothes on-"

"I am not in the mood for sarcasm. You know what I'm talking about." I kept a careful distance from him, knowing that close proximity would probably end badly for both of us. Not _badly_, I guess. But I couldn't deal with complicated teenager feelings right now. This was far too mature for that.

He stared back at me steadily, his expression blank. He watched me so carefully, like he was watching for a reaction, and that scared me more than anything of what he was going to say. "Persona will leave you alone."

Unbridled rage flew through my veins. Fury, hot and searing, I couldn't contain. It formed words on my tongue that I had to consciously hold back, made my eyes burn with tears that I fought, and made my fingers clench with the strain of keeping them still. I won, in the end, as ice slowly began to douse the flames and I stood frozen in place, as I said coolly, "Natsume, what did you say to him?"

His gaze never strayed from mine. "He agreed to leave you alone if I did the deal."

"Why?" I snapped, and reached for the first thing I could; a decorative pillow that had been on the sofa. I grasped it in both hands for a moment, and then couldn't control the anger anymore. I whipped it at him as hard as I could. "Natsume, _why_? I can take care of myself! You can't…you shouldn't…_you weren't supposed to do that_."

He plucked the pillow out of the air as if my throw had been a gentle lob. "I was expecting a thank you, not a raging female throwing things at me."

I took several deep breaths, and then hissed, "Persona threatened to use me against you and you just _let _him? What were you thinking, Natsume? You're not supposed to care what happens to me! This wasn't supposed to happen!" I stormed up to him and jabbed my finger into his chest. "Call him and take it back, Natsume."

"No."

"Do it."

"No."

I threw my hands in the air, stalked two feet away, and then turned and walked right back over to him, jaw squared. "Natsume, I'm serious. Call Persona right now. I can handle him. I don't care if he thinks I'm competition. Let him. But do not get yourself deeper in this mess because of me."

He raised his hand, and I think it was because every time I'd ever experienced an adrenaline rush like the one I was now, it had been facing either Hibiki or Yuka and both had proved to turn to violence. I felt foolish as soon as I flinched away from his hand, because I knew that Natsume would never hurt me.

His eyebrows pulled slightly together at my reaction, but his hand kept moving until his fingers brushed my jaw. I couldn't help it; it went lax. His touch was beyond gentle, light as a butterfly's wing on my skin, but with enough pressure that I could feel my insides stirring, could feel my heart beginning to beat painfully hard against my chest.

His face was hard as stone. "Persona honours the phrase, 'Go hard, or go home.' He's got blood on his hands, Polka. I don't care how stupid you are for getting yourself into this. I'd rather do the drug deal than have to live with it if Persona killed you to get you out of the way. That looks bad for me."

I shook my head, aching to turn my face into his palm. The notion surprised even me, and I had to inhale sharply to suppress the urge. "He's not going to kill me. That's petty and immature. Don't do the deal, Natsume."

"You don't know Persona."

"I don't care if I don't know him. Once he sees that I have no contact with Yuka or Hibiki, he'll realize he was wrong about me. I'll get a new phone. I don't know how Yuka got my number, but I'll make sure she doesn't get it again. Just don't do the stupid drug deal."

He dropped his hand, and for a moment my skin tingled at the loss of his touch. "This is my business, stupid. Leave it to me to sort it out, and just stay out of it."

"You're wasting your breath telling me to stay out of it. You know I'll find a way back in. I'm apparently magnetized to this whole ordeal. To anything that has anything to do with you. I don't know why, and I don't want to try to come up with a reason. What I want is for you to stop thinking everybody is your responsibility. I can take care of myself."

"You keep saying that, but you have no idea what Persona already has planned for you."

"And _you _do?"

"I told you, everything Persona knows, I know."

"Then tell me what he has in store for me. Tell me, Natsume."

He looked like he wanted to throttle me. This was a look I was becoming accustomed to, which I don't think was exactly healthy. I took comfort in the fact that I was certain that he would never do anything to harm me.

"He'll make it pretty," he said darkly. "He'll make it look like an accident. Have someone else do it so he can keep his hands as clean as possible. But he'll have to live with it, and so will I. He'll make it look like you committed suicide, because your abusive past was unbearable. Or he'll make it look like a car accident. Either way, you'll be dead, and out of his hair."

I caught my lip between my teeth, refusing to let him scare me. "Call him, Natsume, and tell him that you don't have an agreement anymore. Because I'm not your responsibility."

"No."

"I thought you didn't care what happened to me."

The muscle in his jaw pulsed as he clenched his teeth. He turned away from me, heading for the kitchen, saying, "It's complicated."

I followed him. "I don't see what's so complicated about it."

"Shut up, Polka Dots. I'm not changing my mind."

"What happened to the 'I'm so egotistical I only care about what happens to me' act you had going on when I first met you?" I demanded, swinging myself in front of him and pushing him back so hard it stung my wrists; he barely fell a step back.

He shot me a glare and said nothing.

And, very slowly, my anger began to seep out of me, leaving in its wake a sense of helplessness, and a little bit of fear. Not for me, because he'd made it clear that I was safe now, but for him.

"This isn't over," I managed to say through my teeth with the last little bit of anger before it left me. My shoulders sagged; I had to grab the kitchen table behind me to keep me on my feet because my legs had taken on the consistency of wet noodles. "I'll hate you forever if you do it," I threatened.

He scoffed and turned away from me. "You'll be alive."

I watched him as he went to the sink and began picking up already washed and dried dishes and putting them in their appropriate places. I wasn't sure if he realized it, but he'd completely let go of the act that he didn't care what happened to me, which meant he did care. And there had to be a reason why he did care. He'd never tell me, though, so I pinched my lips together to keep from asking.

Natsume Hyuuga was throwing away the rest of his life because I'd been stupid enough to get a picture of me looking like I was getting a supply of drugs from my mother. He was throwing the rest of his life away to save _me_, from my stupidity. Again.

There was no way I would _ever _let him do that.

I wanted to go over to him and hug him or kiss him or do _something_, which was the first indication that this was more than hormones. I had a crush on Natsume, and I was going to take it like a woman and do something about it.

Maybe guilt-tripping him would work.

"Natsume, if you do this drug deal, you're never getting out of this," I tried, calmly. "The more danger you put yourself in, the more danger you're putting Youichi in."

"Youichi will be sent to a private school in September," he replied. "Persona won't have access to him."

"What about Yuu?"

"He has one more payment to make to Persona, and then he's out for good."

I muttered a curse. "Koko?"

"Persona isn't interested in Koko."

I stomped up to him, snatched the plate he'd been about to put away out of his hand, and scowled. "Before I smash this over your head out of frustration, let me make this clear. I'm not working for Hibiki. I do not deal or traffic drugs. Therefore, I do not need to be protected. Persona will figure it out. I'll even agree to have him 'keep tabs' on me. When he sees that, then he's got nothing on you."

He stooped over so that his face was in line with mine, his glare so menacing it sent chills down my spine. "It doesn't matter, Polka Dots. He doesn't need any other reason other than that it will make me do what he wants. As long as you're here, he'll threaten to hurt you. Whether you deal drugs or not."

"So that picture of Yuka giving me the box…that's just an excuse so that he could feel like he had a more justifiable reason for threatening me. What he's really concerned about," I turned my eyes up to his, "is you and me."

I was suddenly very aware of how close he was, of his breath fanning over my face. Of his arms, which blocked my path because one hand was on the counter and one was on the island, and his arms were so close to mine that I could feel the static electricity. Yes, this was far more than attraction.

Natsume straightened, as if realizing the same thing, and turned back to the dishes, snatching the plate back from me. It dawned on me all at once.

"That's how Yuka got my number, isn't it? Persona somehow told her. So that he could see if I really was dealing. And he thinks I am. Natsume, how did Persona get my phone number?"

He sent me a sideways glance. "It was on your résumé."

"Luna," I gasped. "That little brat."

"Stop freaking out. As long as you keep yourself in line, Persona won't give you anymore trouble."

I grinned wickedly at his back, feeling the determination I'd felt early seeping back into me. "No, but I'll give him trouble." Before he could utter a protest – not that he would have – I was racing back to the door, an idea forming in the very back of my mind.

I didn't _want _to leave Natsume. I wanted to stay at his apartment with him all evening, even if just to convince him that I didn't need him looking out for me. No matter how sweet it was. No matter how hard it made my heart beat.

Whatever it had been when I'd first met him that had told me I wanted him in my life, was only making itself more clear to me with every inch deeper I got into his life. Which is why I didn't consider leaving town – sure, Natsume had said that that would stop Persona from using me against him, but I didn't believe it would.

I called Koko first, asking for Ruka's number. Once I got that, I called Ruka, asking where I could find Hotaru since she'd threatened me if I ever called her again. He told me she was at work, but that I could come by later. Except then _I'd _be at work, so I asked him to ask her to stop by the bar tonight and I'd get a word on with her.

I had an idea. Hotaru would probably think it was a bad idea, but she was the only one who could help me with it. And if it meant saving Natsume, and her lovely boyfriend, from Persona, then I didn't think there would be room for her to argue.

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><p>I was jittery at the bar. Jittery because this might actually work and jittery because I had so many things to say to Hotaru that I felt like I just wanted to tell my plan to every customer I served. Except Natsume and Reo, because that would have been bad. It was bad enough that seeing Natsume walk into the bar sent a jolt up my spine and I very nearly ducked behind the bar. Instead, I made myself look busy. They'd seated themselves at the counter, where the bartenders could handle them.<p>

Anna suddenly appeared beside me, her arm weighed down by a tray loaded with drinks. "Ooh, look who just showed up," she said. "I really don't know how he does it. He makes a scowl look _good_. And I mean _good._"

I glared at her. "Oh, shut it. I see what you're doing here."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Sorry, Mik. I can't help it. All the years I went to high school with him, I didn't once see him give a girl as many glances as he's given you tonight."

I fought a blush and resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at her, and instead turned to my table and smiled at the customers, all of which were guys and all of which couldn't keep their eyes on my face, and instead either stared at my chest or my behind.

I put my hand on one guy's shoulder after I'd given them all their drinks and tucked my tray under my arm. "You guys all set?" I asked.

The man who I was using as a leaning post grinned up at me and wound his arm around my waist. "If we say no, will you stick around?"

I laughed and detached myself from him. "Sorry, boys. I've got work to do. I'll be back around again soon."

I turned around, prepared to march haughtily back to the bar and pretend not to notice Natsume and Reo, but the moment I saw two girls leaning provocatively towards them, I experienced a pang of jealousy.

Oh, shoot.

Before it could blossom further, I smothered it and decided that the last thing I needed was to be jealous because of all the attention Natsume got from girls. Besides, he wasn't kissing them. He'd kissed _me_.

And I would not let myself be one of those girls who got jealous every time the guy who was _not _her boyfriend talked to another girl. Because I hated when girls did that. And I was not a hypocrite.

I started to head back to the bar to fill up my tray again, but got two steps before a guy in a suit intercepted me. He looked sort of familiar, and when I studied him a second longer, I remembered he'd been the one talking to me last time Natsume had been here. I smiled at him.

"Hey," he said. "Mikan, right?"

I frowned. "How did you…?"

"I asked that girl over there." He pointed to Nonoko, who was chatting with one of the patrons had her table. He turned back to me and grinned. "She said if I asked nicely you might give me your number."

I made a mental note to tell Nonoko that I was not here to get guys, but then I understood what she was doing. She knew Natsume was here, and she was going to be sending guys my way until he left. The little devil. As if another guy asking for my number would honestly make _Natsume Hyuuga _jealous.

I smiled politely at him. "I actually don't have a number, because I don't have a landline and I accidentally threw my phone in front of a bus," Which was not true, "but if you stick around until my break I might be able to get _your _number." Which wasn't true, either, but it worked in getting him to saunter off.

The two girls that had been talking to Reo and Natsume had disappeared, and the two of them had turned towards each other and were talking over their beers. Natsume's side profile was unfairly handsome, even with that serious look on his face all the time. Anna was right; he really did rock the scowl.

Because I felt so happy with myself for coming up with such a brilliant plan, I decided not to pretend they weren't there and instead floated happily over between them and draped my arms over each of their shoulders.

"Hello, boys," I said cheerfully, ignoring the glare I felt Natsume shoot me. "How are you doing?"

Reo looked at me, his eyebrow raised, before his eyes travelled down the length of my scantily clad body. "Mikan, right?"

"That's me!" I turned to Natsume. "What are you two fine fellows doing here on a Wednesday night?"

"Discussing business," Natsume replied shortly.

"Ooh. Sounds boring. But I'm sure it's not." I turned to Reo. "Hey, did Natsume mention that I'm _not _working for Hibiki Ito? I was wondering if it may have come up in passing. Since, you know, I'm _not._"

"Shut up, Polka," Natsume growled.

Reo laughed dryly. "No, he hasn't mentioned it. That might be something you'd want to talk to Persona about, however. Not that Natsume would let you anywhere near Persona."

"See, what Natsume fails to realize is that he's not my babysitter." I patted Natsume's back, suppressing the urge to tangle my fingers in his hair. This attraction thing could not, would not, make me impulsive. "Oh, look, there's Hotaru. Enjoy your business discussion, boys."

Hotaru did not look amused to be there, but I gave her points for actually showing up. When she seated herself at the bar – on the complete opposite side that Natsume and Reo were on – I barely gave her time to gather herself before I was on the inside of the bar, directly in front of her, slamming my hands down on the counter.

Her violet gaze flickered to mine. "What, in God's name, is important enough to drag me into this mess of drunken men slobbering all over me?"

"You and I, Hotaru," I said, eyes alight and a smile tugging hard on my lips, "are going to beat Persona at his own game."

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><p>AN: I'm very sorry! I know I said I'd try to get another chapter up before I left, but I definitely had no time at all. I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm sorry for filling you with false hope! And I stayed a day later than I'd planned, so that's why the update is coming today, not yesterday. I had a wonderful time on my little break, despite never having had so many mosquito bites in my life, but I'm ready to get back at it! _However, _these next few days are going to be busy for me, so the next update may not come until Sunday. It's hard to say, but keep your eyes peeled for that notification email!

Review, tell me what you think! Mikan was a little moody in this one. I'm prepared for people to dislike that :P

xo.


	16. Find A Way

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>"And how, do tell, do you plan on doing that?" Hotaru said dryly. She wasn't one to hide what she was thinking, so I could tell that she was incredibly doubtful of my abilities to pull this off. And she didn't even know my plan yet.<p>

"Well, I'm going to need your help. This falls right into your expertise." I propped my elbows up on the counter, cradling my chin in my palm and not bothering to suppress the smile. "You are a pro stalker, right? Well, not stalker. But blackmailer. I don't know how you got those pictures of me and Natsume, so obviously you're good at what you do. And you don't really strike me as the type to do anything badly anyway, the perfectionist that you are."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, anticipating what I had to say next.

"So, we find some dirt on Persona. And we blackmail him with it." I clapped my hands together once, and then clasped them under my chin. "Hotaru, I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. I can't believe _you _didn't think of it sooner. It's just-"

"I did," Hotaru interrupted icily. "I've thought about it plenty of times."

Surprised, I straightened. "Then do you already have something on Persona?"

"No."

"Then what are you talking about?"

She leaned forward across the counter. "If I were to do one thing wrong – _one thing _– and Persona found out, it would become a hell of a lot worse for Yuu and Natsume and Ruka. I'm not certain I'm prepared to take that risk."

I squared my jaw. "I am."

She studied me. "Why?"

I glanced briefly over my shoulder at Natsume. His eyes flickered to meet mine, and my heart leapt on my throat. I turned away before I could do something stupid. "First of all, because I'm sick of seeing Natsume, Ruka, and Yuu like this. And secondly, I don't think you're capable of making mistakes, so I really don't think we have anything to lose."

"I may not, but you're plenty capable of mistakes."

"Thank you, Hotaru," I said sarcastically, and then shook my head. "I'm confident that we can do this. We _need _to do this. Come on, Hotaru. I'll come up with the plan. All you have to do is take the pictures."

"No, _I'll _come up with the plan. You're too dumb to come up with anything that will actually work." Her tone dropped a notch, taking on this menacing air that had me wanted to hide under the counter. "But you have to listen to me. Every single thing I tell you to do, you have to do it. Am I understood?"

I swallowed thickly, and then beamed. "Yes."

"Good."

"Oh, Hotaru," I gushed. "We're finally going to fix this."

"It won't be easy. Persona's guarded and he acts like he's done everything right for his entire life. It'll take time. I need to know that you're not going to bail."

I snorted. "Hotaru, it's _my _idea. Of course I'm not going to bail. And Persona's not perfect. He's the king of the drug dealer world right now, so he's got tons to hide and we've got tons to find to use against him."

She slid off her stool. "You are not to tell anyone about this. It'll be between you and me. Not Natsume, not Ruka, not Koko. Not even Yuu. Do you understand?"

I nodded obediently. "No one will know."

She nodded once, and then turned and left the bar, leaving me to spin around on my heel, and jump once in the air excitedly. Natsume saw, frowned a little, and then excused himself from Reo, who was turned completely around flirting with some girl. I thought he was going to come over to me, but he headed for the bathrooms, so I picked up my tray and got back to work.

Not two minutes later, I was squeezing behind two chairs put too close together, my empty tray pressed to my abdomen. Just as I stumbled out of the tight space and turned to glare at it, I felt a hand brush along the exposed skin on my neck. I whirled around, expecting to have to defend myself. _Not _excepting to see Natsume.

His hand tucked beneath my hair, remaining on the back of my neck, he leaned down so that his lips were so close to my ear I could feel his warm breath crawling down my neck. "If you even _think _about going to Persona, I'll make your life a living hell."

I laughed, nudging him gently back because I was on duty, not because I wanted to. "Natsume, I doubt you're capable. But I won't go to Persona. You don't have to worry about me. And don't even lie and say you're not worried about me. Because you are. As much as I appreciate it, it's pointless to worry about me."

He rolled his eyes, and I watched him as he sauntered over to Reo, said something to him, and then headed for the doors without a second glance back at me.

* * *

><p>I hadn't spoken to Yuu in awhile, so I was excited when he rang up to my room on Thursday. He spoke so fast into the speaker that I barely caught his name, but recognized his voice.<p>

"Okay, Yuu," I said on a laugh through the phone. "Slow down. I'll let you up. Try not to tear up the stairs on your way up here." I unlocked the door for him, and not a minute later, heard him knocking impatiently. I opened it, started to say hello, only to be stopped by him pouncing on me with a hug.

"Mikan, _great _news," he said, and when he pulled away his smile was so huge it took up three-quarters of his face. "I gave my very last payment to Natsume today. Mikan, I'm _out._"

My mouth moved, but no sound came out. I just stared at him with eyes as wide as saucers, trying to comprehend the greatness of his words. Natsume had told me that Yuu only had one payment left to make, but I hadn't expected to happen so _soon_.

"Oh, my goodness!" I exclaimed, squealing as I, in turn, leapt on him and threw my arms around his neck. "Yuu, that's not just _great _news. That's phenomenal! It's stupendous! I'm so happy for you!"

"I know, I know," he breathed, and managed to pry me off of him and lead me into the apartment, where we sat across from each other at the kitchen table. "Mikan, it's…it's _indescribable, _how I feel right now. It's been two years." He closed his eyes as he repeated, "Two years. And I'm finally done with Persona."

I wanted to cry happy tears for him, but swallowed my emotions and sufficed for grinning stupidly at him. "Yuu, I'm so glad it's all over for you."

He leaned back in his chair with a quick exhale. "Now I guess I don't need two jobs. But I don't know what I'm going to do with my time if I only have one job. It'd be weird for you too, hey? If you suddenly didn't need two jobs anymore?"

I snorted. "Yuu, I think I'll be working two jobs for the rest of my life." Because at this rate, there was no way I'd be able to pay for school, so not really any chance of getting a job that would pay well enough that I could sit back and breathe. I was prepared to live with the consequences of running away, however. I always had been.

He reached across the table, his face suddenly serious, and grabbed my hand. "Mikan," he said sincerely. "I want to thank you."

Surprised, I straightened. "For what?"

"For a lot, actually. I know it sounds lame, but you were a huge part of me getting through this." He looked down at the table, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "Your optimism, your encouragement. Mikan, I don't think I would have made it if it weren't for you. I owe you. A lot."

"Yuu, it's-"

"I'm not done," he interrupted. "I know it's your personality that makes you so happy all the time, but I promise you it helped me." He paused, looking back up at me. "And I also want to thank you for Natsume."

It was my turn to fight a blush. "Yuu, don't be-"

"No, Mikan. You have to hear this. I've always worried about Natsume. He's into all of this dark stuff and the only light he has in his life is Youichi, and he's being sent to school in the fall. You're a godsend for Natsume. Cheesy as it sounds, you're a beacon of light in his life and he really needed that. Needs it now. I know he cares about you, and I know you care about him. And I want to thank you for caring about him. From the very beginning."

I started to protest, and then thought better of it and nodded my head. "You're welcome."

He let go of my hand, smiling again as he stood up. "Don't be a stranger, Mikan. Just because I'm out of Persona's business doesn't mean I can't be friends with you guys still. Thanks again." He walked himself to the door, waved over his shoulder, and then disappeared.

* * *

><p>I heard from Koko that the drug deal – the very dangerous one that Natsume had agreed to do – was to take place on the last day of August. That gave Hotaru and I five weeks to pull something together and play the right cards that would get everyone out of this mess.<p>

On Friday, Hotaru called me at the coffee shop and told me to stop by her address after work the following day. Apparently she had an idea, which was further than I'd gotten because I hadn't been able to think of a good place to start. I could probably break into Persona's house, but Hotaru would never go for that and I needed her with me.

So after work on Saturday, I looked at the map I'd kept since my first day here, got on a bus, and made my way to Hotaru's house. It turns out, though, that the bus doesn't go inside her neighbourhood because it's far too classy. I ended up walking through the big metal gates and down a really nice road for about ten minutes, before I stopped at the huge apartment complex that was Hotaru's.

I don't know where she got all of her money from, but it looked like she knew how to splurge.

I pressed the button for her room and said, "It's Mikan," into the speaker.

"I can see you, dummy," was her monotonous reply. While I looked around for a camera, she buzzed the door open. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, I slunk into the complex and headed for the elevator, intimidated by the perfect carpets, unmarked white walls, and scent of cleaner.

Hotaru opened the door before I had a chance to knock, scanning me once, eyeing my feet, and turning back into the apartment with a called, "Shoes off," over her shoulder.

I kicked my flip flops off and looked around in wonder.

The ceiling was high, which explained the height of the building when there were only three floors. All of her furniture was black leather – like Natsume's – but where his walls were dark, hers were shockingly white. Even the kitchen was white. The tile, the counters. The cabinets were black. There weren't many walls between the kitchen, living room, and dining room before they narrowed into a hallway on my left. The light coming in from the far wall, which was mostly made up of huge windows, lit the entire area exposed, and I had to blink against the brightness.

"Wow," I managed to say. "Must be pretty hard to keep it clean, hey?"

She'd gone over to the kitchen and taken a seat on one of the tall black stools at the island, her hands closed around a black mug. Her hair seemed darker compared to the room; her face seemed paler. "I'm not as sloppy as you. I actually find it quite effortless to keep it clean."

"Nobody's perfect, Hotaru," I said sceptically, walking over to join her at the island.

"I am," she said, with so much confidence that I couldn't actually deny her. "But we're here for business, not for discussing cleanliness."

"Right." I watched her sip from her coffee mug, waiting for her to offer me some. Then I realized that Hotaru didn't offer much, and said, "Can I have a cup of coffee?"

"No. This is expensive coffee."

"I'm sure you can afford it, if this apartment is any clue of how much money you have." I slid off my stool and went searching the cupboards for a mug, found one, and then went to her coffee pot. "So, what business did you want to talk to me about?"

"If you're going to help yourself to my delicacies, I'll wait for you to seat yourself."

"Oh, all right." I poured the coffee, found the sugar and milk, and then sat back in my seat. I took a sip of the coffee, anxious to see if it tasted spectacular because it was so 'expensive', only to find out that it tasted exactly like _Folgers. _Instead of calling her out on it, I pursed my lips and looked at her. "So, spill."

She tilted her nose up haughtily and took another sip of her very inexpensive coffee. "Reo is our topic of interest today."

I frowned. "Reo?"

"That's what I said."

"Okay, explain how Reo is going to help us."

"Reo has been around Persona the longest. It doesn't matter that Hyuuga is Persona's best racer and collector; Reo remains his right hand man – the person he trusts the most. Even if Hyuuga says he knows everything Persona knows, it is _far _more likely that Reo knows more. Despite Hyuuga's loyalty thus far, he has shown his displeasure with being under Persona's control, and Persona knows that."

"So Reo knows, what?"

"Everything about Persona, I presume. At least everything we need to know about Persona."

"Right. But it's not like he's going to talk to us."

"No. But you might be able to make him talk to you."

I straightened, nearly spilling coffee over the edge of my mug. "How?"

"He likes women," she said dryly. "It could work to our advantage."

"Wait a second. You want _me _to charm Reo into making him tell me what dirty secrets Persona has? You're pulling my leg. There's no way he'd ever go for that. He _hates _me."

She snorted. "Reo will not _hate _anything female that is scantily dressed and coming onto him. Which is what you'll be doing."

"And then what?" I deadpanned. "He's going to want in my pants."

She shrugged.

"Hotaru!" I exclaimed, mouth dropping open. "My virginity was _not _part of the deal!"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to put out. Just make him say things without using the filter in his head. The more he says, the more it gives us. If he tells you something that Persona doesn't want anyone to know, then all we have to do is get proof." Her eyes flickered to mine. "And that part's easy."

"Remind me why we're not just getting a picture of Persona dealing drugs and giving it to the police."

Her eyes darkened. "If Persona goes down like that, then Ruka and Hyuuga go with him. That's not what we want."

I nodded, understanding this. "Right. Okay. Then I'm going to charm Reo into wanting to molest me, and I'm going to get some dirt on Persona." I heaved a breath. "All right. I can do this. You're a clever woman, Hotaru. Sometimes it's scary how clever you are."

"I know."

I drained the rest of my cheap coffee and brought the mug to the dishwasher. "How am I going to charm him? I've only seen him at the bar twice."

"According to Ruka, Persona's out of town for the next few days. Reo will likely be in the bar on Monday."

"Okay. Then my acting like Luna and coming onto good looking guys starts on Monday." I walked myself to the door because Hotaru didn't stand up. "I'll let you know anything I know, okay? And if Reo rapes me, I'm blaming you." However, since Hibiki hadn't managed to get the best of me, the clumsy oaf that he was, I doubted Reo could. "Wish me luck!"

She was silent as I swept out of the room.

* * *

><p>When Hotaru predicted that Reo would be in the bar on Monday, she had been right. However, she had not predicted that Natsume, Hayate, and another guy I didn't recognize would also be there. Seeing Hayate there was bad enough, but somehow Natsume being there made it worse. Nothing like having an audience.<p>

I took a deep breath when I saw them walk in, then pulled my skirt up my legs a little further, pulled my shirt down a little bit, and flipped my head upside down to give my hair some volume and to make it look breezy and sexy. When they took their seats at the bar like I knew they would, I shooed Narumi away so I could serve them their drinks.

"Hello, boys," I said, so coyly I nearly cringed. But it worked, because I had Reo's attention. And Natsume's, Hayate's, and the other guy's. Natsume's face was blank, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking, which was no surprise. Hayate looked shocked at first, and then his eyes narrowed into a half-glare.

The glare didn't last long when I bent over and propped my elbows up on the counter. His eyes flickered to my chest, and when he looked back up at me he actually smiled. Good. Because I couldn't have him messing anything up with his anger towards me.

"What can I get you?" I said in the same voice, my gaze lingering on Reo's when I really wanted to look at Natsume. I made my lips curve when Reo gave me a look of interest.

"Are you referring to drinks, or something else?" he said with a charming grin. The guy I didn't recognize laughed, but Hayate just looked doubtful and Natsume didn't react.

"Maybe both," I said slyly. "But for now, drinks."

I served them all, and then excused myself to walk around the counter, where Reo could check out all of my exposed skin that was going to help me rope him in. As I was walking away, however, swinging my hips like Luna did, I felt more than one pair of eyes on me.

This was going to be more difficult that I thought – to grab Reo's attention without getting the attention of the rest of his posse.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this so much! Really! I love, love, _love _all of your reviews, and it really inspires me to get chapters up faster! However, because these next couple of days are going to be busy, I don't have any promises of a quick update :( I'm very sorry, but I'll try my very best, because I love you all so much! :)

I hope the chapter is satisfactory! Don't forget to tell me your thoughts!

xo.


	17. How Good I'll Fake It

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

><p><em>I don't know if I'll make it,<br>But watch how good I'll fake it  
>-<strong>Tonight Tonight, <strong>Hot Chelle Rae_

* * *

><p>I could perfectly picture Hotaru asking me what the big deal was that more than Reo had shown up at the bar. I could also perfectly picture me replying by telling her some complicated explanation of the fact that I felt like a piece of meat being stared at by a couple of ravenous dogs.<p>

But the fact of the matter was that I'd just discovered I had a crush on Natsume. I didn't want him thinking I was interested in Reo instead of him.

I had to give myself a mental pep talk every time I got back to the bar, to remind myself why I was doing this and how critical it was that I did it. Hotaru was seriously on to something with this idea; I'd be a fool to screw it up.

"How're the drinks, boys?" I asked, making flirtatious eye contact with Reo, which he returned. "Anyone want a top off?"

"Yours," Hayate said crudely.

I laughed. "I meant for your drinks." I snatched Reo's near-empty beer glass and filled it with what he'd been having, then did the rest of theirs. Natsume had his hand on his glass, so I had to be careful not to make skin contact or else I would probably have some unexpected reaction to it and Reo would realize I was more attracted to Natsume. I didn't make eye contact with him.

"Mikan, right?" Reo asked as I filled Natsume's cup.

I let my lips curve into a suggestive smile. "That's me."

He took a swig of his drink. "Tell me. Have you been enjoying the excitement that comes from being part of Persona's life?"

I considered how to answer the question, and then sufficed for saying, "I was kind of expecting…more excitement," paired with what I hoped was a hungry look at Reo.

His eyebrows shot up. "Well, I'm going to have to see what I can do about that."

"Sounds good to me," I purred, and nearly crinkled my nose because it didn't sound like me at all.

"Careful with her," Hayate growled. "She's a trickster."

Reo gave me an appreciative once over. "Doesn't look too tricky to me. What time are you done at tonight, Mikan?"

I pouted, wondering how realistic it looked. "I work until close tonight." I lit up my face. "Tomorrow evening, however, I'm done at midnight."

I recognized the look on his face. Guys got that look when they thought they were going to get lucky. Which I suppose is exactly what I'd been aiming for, but that didn't change the fact that I was pretty much terrified of letting things get out of _my _control. I couldn't let Reo get the upper hand.

"Then I suppose I'll be seeing you tomorrow evening, as well. Unless you have other plans?"

I shook my head, trying not to look eager. "I'm all yours."

"Good."

I excused myself again, this time for the sake of letting go of my sexy-carefree façade and letting worry make itself visible where they couldn't see me. Worry because this was a huge risk I was taking. Worry because I didn't want Natsume to think I was just another Luna.

When I wasn't around Reo and his posse, I pulled my skirt down and my shirt up and didn't swing my hips to much when I walked that I felt like I was going to knock myself off balance. All of this acting was incredibly exhausting and I found myself yearning to sit down in every empty table I cleaned up.

I felt more like myself as I did my rounds, smiling at customers, accepting tips, and taking orders. Which was why it was so easy to get distracted and not realize I as running into someone until I was bouncing off of them, only managing to hold onto my balance and not spill of my tray of empty dishes by a thread.

"I'm so sorry," I said, looking up, and then, "Oh. It's you."

Natsume had come from the direction of the bathroom, and had no doubt stopped when he saw me heading towards him, expecting me to see him and stop, but I'd had my head down and had run right into him, which just made the sparks fly, which just frustrated me because he was going to make this difficult.

"Reo is almost as bad as Persona," he said, in such a low voice that I felt a tremor shoot up my spine.

I tilted my chin up proudly, wanting more than anything to tell him what I was doing and why I was doing it. But this had to remain between Hotaru and I – it was our agreement. "I happen to be attracted to bad boys, if you hadn't noticed."

He stared me down for a solid five seconds. They were the longest five seconds of my life. Finally, he rolled his eyes and brushed past me.

I didn't think he'd seen through me, because even though I was a terrible liar, I hadn't lied. Since Natsume was a bad boy, I _was _attracted to the bad ass type. That was just the truth. But I still felt like I was lying.

Sighing, I made my trips back to the bar only when necessary, well aware that I'd successfully roped Reo in, and he wasn't getting out until I was finished with him.

* * *

><p>As soon as I walked out of the bar at the end of my shift, I opened my phone to call Hotaru. Two things stopped me – one, it was three in the morning and I was sure no one, least of all Hotaru, would appreciate being woken by the ringing of the phone; two, the voicemail notification distracted me.<p>

I didn't have caller ID, so the number was unknown. I dialled my voicemail, expecting to have a message from Ruka or from Hotaru, certainly _not _expecting to hear my mother's voice.

"_Mikan, it's me. I just wanted to…I just wanted to thank you. I know you're still mad that I called you, but I'm glad I did it. And if you ever want to come home, I promise I'll be better." _She paused for a few seconds, and then, _"I miss you. Bye."_

Once the initial wave of emotion passed over me, I angrily deleted the message, and made a mental note to change my phone number. She was the whole reason Natsume was in this situation, and therefore the whole reason _I _was in this situation.

But I had to admit, tonight had gone stupendously well, and if tomorrow night went just as good, and if Reo really did hang around until the end of my shift, then Hotaru and I were golden.

* * *

><p>I called Hotaru when I woke up the next morning, figuring that she'd want to hear updates.<p>

"I thought I told you not to call me," was her greeting when she picked up.

"Hotaru, I think this is a little important, and I'm not going to take the bus all the way to your fancy-shmancy neighbourhood and walk ten minutes to your apartment just to tell you something that can easily be said over the phone." While I spoke, I was pulling my pajama pants off and a pair of shorts on.

She sighed irritably. "Fine. What do you want?"

"It went _really _well," I said, forcing myself to forget what Natsume had said about Reo being almost as bad as Persona. "I caught his attention, and I think he's going back to the bar tonight. He asked when I finished today, so I'm pretty sure I'm going home with him. That's good, right?"

She was silent for a moment. "That's better than I thought someone as hopeless as you would do. Hyuuga was with him?"

I felt my shoulders fall and tried not to sound too disappointed when I said, "Yes."

She caught it anyway. "He's not as dumb as you are, so he might figure out what you're doing." I figured that was the most comfort I'd ever get from Hotaru. "You are _not _to tell him what we're doing, under no circumstances."

"Yeah, yeah, we've already been over this. Besides, he'd try to stop us, so it's not even worth telling him. I just don't want him to think I'm actually attracted to Reo, you know? I have a crush on Natsume. You're not supposed to flirt with other guys when you have a crush on someone."

"I'm not on the phone with you for you to tell me about your lack of a love life."

"I know. I just really needed to tell _someone _that I have a crush on him."

It sounded like she took a sip of something – probably her _Folgers _coffee. "Waste someone else's time with that. What are you going to do to get Reo to talk tonight?"

"Act interested," I said on a deep breath. "Interested in what he does. Maybe act like I want to be a part of it."

"You're going to need to do more than that."

"I'm hoping it'll just come to me on the spur of the moment."

She seemed to contemplate for a moment. "I'll give you until one A.M. to call me. If you haven't by then, I'll have to send someone to Reo's place to make sure you haven't blown it and had yourself murdered. If you see that it is almost one o'clock and you think you need more time, then I expect you to find a way to tell me. This part is crucial. I can't have you messing it up."

"I understand. I promise I won't mess up."

"Good."

"Okay. Then I'll talk to you at one o'clock. But you're not allowed to get mad at me for calling you. You know, since you're telling me to call you."

"Fine." She paused a moment. "And a little jealousy in a relationship is healthy." Before I could ask her what relevance that had to our conversation, she hung up.

I stared at my phone in my hand before snapping it shut and shaking my head. "That girl really needs to learn to stop speaking in riddles."

* * *

><p>The rest of my afternoon before work was spent going to the Telus store and getting my number changed for privacy reasons. As much as the attention from my mom was appreciated, I couldn't forgive her for all of the trouble she was causing, at least not until I'd gotten Ruka and Natsume safely out of this mess.<p>

Once that was done, I decided it would be wise to buy more clothes so I could stop spending so much money at the Laundromat. I bought two more pairs of black pants, a white shirt, a black shirt, a pair of jeans, another pair of shorts, and a few summer shirts. They would do for now.

I figured the shopping would do good for keeping my mind off of what I was going to have to do tonight, but it was more of a task that required your hands and not your mind, so my thoughts wandered and I stressed about how I was going to get Reo to talk.

By the time I actually walked into the bar at three o'clock, I was sweating despite my little amount of clothing. It didn't help that I was working with Luna tonight, because she'd be all in my face about leaving with Reo, and would probably try to make me upset by going for Natsume. And it might work, so I had to be careful.

When Anna and Nonoko arrived for their shifts, I must have looked like a deer in the headlights because both of them gave me a raised eyebrow.

"What's with the look?" Anna asked.

"What look?" I said nervously.

"The look that makes you look like you're about to shit your pants," Nonoko said.

I waved my hand dismissively, trying to look blasé. "I have a date tonight and I'm a little nervous. That's all."

"With Natsume?"

I felt my shoulders drop, but then forced myself to tilt my chin up. "Natsume and I are not an item," I said, although I wished we were. "I'm actually going out with Reo tonight. The guy Natsume's always in here with."

Anna and Nonoko exchanged glances. "Mikan, we know who he is," Anna said.

"And we don't think it's the best idea to-"

"Shh," I said, cutting Nonoko off. "I know what I'm doing. Just trust me."

Both looked sceptical "You don't have to make Natsume jealous, Mik. You've already got him wrapped around your finger."

"I do not, and this isn't about that." Before they could get anymore information out of me, I loaded up my tray and slipped away. I put on my calm face, but the whole time I served drinks and chatted with customers, I was freaking out on the inside. Because I was leaving with Reo and if Natsume was with him, Natsume would see me leaving with Reo and he wouldn't understand.

I didn't care what Hotaru said about a little jealousy being healthy – I didn't like making people jealous, even if it did work on Natsume, and Natsume and I sure as hell did not have a relationship to be made healthy with jealousy.

I watched the clock anxiously for two reasons. First of all, I wasn't even a hundred percent sure that Reo was going to come. Secondly, if he did come, there was no telling what he'd want from me and I'd have to play my cards right if I wanted this to work.

As both hands on the clock got closer and closer to being on the twelve at the same time, my stomach twisted tighter and tighter. On my break, I paced the back room, reapplied my makeup twice, and wet a paper towel and put it on my neck because I felt like I was in an oven.

At twelve o'clock on the dot, Reo walked in.

I wanted to hide from him, but realized how crucial it was that this happened. At least he'd walked in alone, so I didn't even have to worry about Natsume messing everything up by looking at me with those dark, brooding red eyes of his and unnerving me so much that the words I'd promised Hotaru I wouldn't tell him just came spewing out before I could stop them.

Reo caught sight of me across the bar, and I forced myself to act as I had last night; sexy and flirty and like I knew what I was doing when the truth was that I didn't have a clue. He motioned to the clock, and I shot him a sly smile and made my way back to the bar, taking off my apron as I went.

"I'm out of here," I muttered to Anna as I passed her.

She glanced towards the door. "Mikan, I really don't think-"

"Don't worry about me, Anna. I'll see you tomorrow." I disappeared into the back room, had a thirty-second freak out session, grabbed my flip flops and my phone, and met Reo at the door.

He didn't hesitate in putting his hand on my behind and steering me out the door like that. I felt irritation beckoning, and moved his hand away, leaning in to his ear to whisper, "You're going to have to work a little bit for that."

He grinned. "Good. Something I'm good at."

His car, unlike Natsume's, had doors, so I didn't have to worry about awkwardly scrambling through a window. I sat daintily down, and while he was starting up his car, I pulled my skirt sneakily up and once again pulled my shirt down until the neckline of my shirt was flush with the line of my bra.

He noticed. His eyes slid up my legs, lingered on my chest, before he smiled at me. The smile, however, did not disguise the hunger that I'd seen last night from his eyes. This was going to be tricky.

"Where are we going?" I asked, aching to put on my seatbelt. But I doubted that would give me many points; a girl who enjoyed this kind of lifestyle probably didn't wear seatbelts.

"To my place."

I smiled, although my insides were dropping to my toes. "I think I'll like your place." I reached my arm towards him, and dragged my fingers lightly and slowly from his neck to his shoulder. I saw his foot flex as he pushed down harder on the gas.

"So, Natsume wasn't good enough for you?"

The question surprised me, but I didn't let that show. Instead, I leaned closer to him, setting my chin on his shoulder and putting my hand on his knee. "Honey, no one's good enough for me."

He chuckled darkly. "Persona likes you, you know. He thinks you've got spunk."

I pulled away from him. "Persona hasn't seen the best yet. Neither have you."

His gaze moved back over to my legs; he didn't bother to hide the smile. "Oh, but I'm sure you'll show me."

I wanted to snort and tell him that he could get his hopes up as much as he wanted but that I wasn't showing him anything. But obviously, I couldn't do that. That would compromise me and then we'd get nowhere.

Besides, this was the perfect opportunity to talk about Persona, when Reo's mind was on what he thought he was getting back at his place and his mind's filter was at least partly dysfunctional. "Persona seems like a hard guy to impress. I must have done something right."

"You're doing a lot of things right." I caught the suggestion behind that, but ignored it.

Before I could say anything else, the car was screeching to a stop in front of a nice duplex. I didn't have a chance to be surprised, because Reo was already hopping out of the vehicle and I had no choice but to follow. He led the way up the sidewalk to the door on the right, unlocked it, and let us in.

I had to abandon all politeness. I was not expected to be polite, so I couldn't be. Instead of taking off my high heels, I dropped my flip flops on the floor, stuffed my phone into the skin tight pockets of the skirt, and strutted around him to the first sofa I came across, flopping down and seductively crossing my legs while staring at him across the dark room.

I patted the cushion beside me. "What are you waiting for?"

He smiled. "First things first." I watched as he walked into the kitchen and opened one of the drawers, rifling around a bit before pulling out a small box. From the box he pulled a small baggy; I didn't have to guess what it was. "Want some?"

I smiled coyly. "Maybe later," I lied.

He shrugged, and I turned away while he did whatever people who do drugs do. I suspected it was cocaine that he was currently snorting, and while it disgusted me, I had to remember to stay in character.

I smiled as he packed away his things and came over to the couch, rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand briefly. The minute he sat down, his lips were immediately glued to my neck.

Back in school, I'd done a project on the effects of crack cocaine. Enhanced sexual feelings was one of them.

I tried not roll my eyes and instead gently nudged him back. "I'll call the shots tonight, Reo," I whispered in his ear. "Tell me about yourself. I want to know who I'm letting…have their way with me."

He studied me for a moment, his eyes jumping around my face and his hands fidgeting where they rested, one on my shoulders, the other on my thigh. "All you need to know is that I work for Persona, and that I'm good in bed."

"Reassuring," I said. "Come on, Reo." I leaned in so my mouth was so close to his that a piece of paper may barely fit between us. "Don't you want this?"

He kissed me, and since it repulsed me so much, I had to find of a way to keep my cool. I tried to imagine it was Natsume I was kissing, but where Natsume's kisses were gentle and only intrusive when I complied, Reo's was immediately intrusive.

I pulled away. "Must be pretty hard drugs you're doing if you're too high to control yourself," I muttered. "As much as I like that, I'm going to have to get you to hold off. Persona supplies you pretty good, doesn't he?"

Reo laughed. "Not at all, sweetheart." He grabbed me by the hips and used all the strength in his arms to flip me over him so that I was sitting on his lap, facing him, straddling his waist. He put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me down to kiss me again, and then his lips moved across my jaw to my ear. "Keep it between you and me, but Persona's drugs are weak."

Knowing this was the only way to get any information out of him, I let his hands travel up the backs of my legs, and wound my arms around his neck and dropped my head to the level of his. "How weak?" Whatever he was blabbing about sounded pretty juicy.

"As weak as you are in resisting me." He threw me down so that I landed on my back on the couch, and he crawled on top of me so that he had the upper hand and I could barely move.

Fighting panic, I redirected his hands away from the hem of my shirt. "How does he make them weak, Reo? I hardly think he'd kiss them senseless to render them defenceless."

He chuckled against my neck. "No, Persona is cheap. His drugs are laced with fillers so it costs him less to produce, but he charges the same as if they were pure. But like I said, keep it between you and me. I'd hate to have to kill you."

* * *

><p>AN: Back with an update, as promised! :) It's been a busy and exhausting last two days, but today is my first official day of vacation, and I'm absolutely loving it. It's sunny and warm, and it's going to be sunny and warm where we're road tripping to tomorrow! I will continue to right on my vacation, but depending on the availability of internet will determine whether you will be seeing anymore updates in the next week. No promises this time though. We're camping and not a lot of campsites have WiFi. If I don't update this week, then there's a pretty good chance that you'll get at least two quick updates when I get back! And I really think you'll enjoy the next chapter, at least the last part of it :)

Thanks for all of the support! I promise you, I read every single one of my reviews and take into consideration suggestions and criticisms! So keep 'em coming! I love to hear from you!

xo.


	18. Broken Locks

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>The broken locks were a warning,<br>You got inside my head,  
>I tried my best to be guarded,<br>But I'm an open book instead.  
>-<strong>Broken, <strong>Lifehouse_

* * *

><p>My mind raced, trying to comprehend what he'd just said. If I understood correctly, Persona's drugs were not much drugs at all, and if I were one of the people Persona supplied to, like Hibiki, I don't think I would like to find out I was being ripped off.<p>

It seemed far too easy, like the answer to mine and Hotaru's prayers had come with too little effort. But I wasn't going to complain, because this is exactly what I'd come here for. Exactly what I'd surrendered my body to this pig for.

God, Natsume and Ruka better be grateful when this was over.

Because right now, I had very little means of escape. Reo was still over top of me, probably thinking that he was going to get lucky with Slutty Mikan. Little did he know, Real Mikan didn't put out, therefore meaning he was not getting lucky.

I should probably consider going into acting; apparently I was good at it.

"Listen, Reo, as much as I'd like to-" He cut me off with his sloppy, disgusting mouth, and I rolled my eyes, not exactly kissing him back but waiting it out for the sake of not blowing my cover. "As much as I'd like to stay," I said when he abandoned my lips to kiss my neck – ew – "I can't. I'm working early tomorrow."

"Persona gets back tomorrow," he murmured against my skin, which was the point where I began to worry about obtaining a hickey. "He won't approve of my hooking up with the competition."

I laughed. "Persona doesn't know what he's talking about. And who says he has to know?"

"He has his ways of knowing everything."

I managed to squeeze my hands between our bodies and push him up. "I'm too sneaky. Believe me. But right now, I have to go."

Anger flashed through his eyes, and I was just beginning to wonder what time it was and how long I had before Hotaru sent someone over to save me from some horrible fate, when a loud ring saved me first.

Reo cursed and sat up, straddling my legs. In doing so, he took his weight off of me, and I slipped out from underneath him, onto the floor, and then pushed myself to my feet.

"Yeah," he said into the phone, and his eyes flickered to me. "I'm not busy."

I gave him a smile that I hoped passed as charming and headed for the door. I waved over my shoulder, waggling my fingers so I looked cute and like I was holding all the cards, and as I bent over to pick up my flip flops, I also turned the doorknob on the door and pulled it open. When I stood up, Slutty Mikan already being replaced by Real Mikan on my face, was standing toe to toe with Natsume freakin' Hyuuga.

I gasped in surprise, then fell back a step with a little, "Eep!" I heard Reo bid farewell to whoever he was talking to on the phone, but I was too busy freaking out and trying supremely hard to hold onto my composure.

How was I supposed to explain this to the guy I had a crush on when I was sworn to secrecy?

"Natsume," Reo said, coming up behind me. "What are you doing here?"

I leaned away from Reo, and I think Natsume noticed, but I was ducking under his arm before I could tell for sure. With my last thread of composure, I managed to mutter, "I had fun tonight," to Reo, before hurrying down the sidewalk.

"She's hot," I heard Reo say to Natsume. "Had me fooled the first time I met her at that dumpy coffee shop."

I gritted my teeth to keep from defending Yome's and dug my toes into my shoes, struggling to keep my walk relaxed. It was so important that I kept walking and didn't blow a gasket, because then he'd see that I really was who he thought I was.

"I actually thought that those idiots at the coffee shop would have corrupted her into thinking we're the bad guys," Reo continued. "I mean, we are. But that just means we're more fun."

I felt my hands clench into fists, and was half a second from turning around and storming back there and putting him in his place when my own phone started to ring.

"What?" I snapped into it.

"That's no way to greet your superiors," Hotaru said dryly.

My shoulders sagged with my sigh. "Hotaru," I breathed. "Sorry. Reo's just…frustrating me. Oh, and you _owe _me. He had his freaking mouth all over me, and I had to leave him with the impression that we're doing it again some time, and to top things off, _Natsume _has to show up and now he's going to think I'm a big slut. This is not exactly going how I planned it, Hotaru."

"You didn't plan it. I did. And it's going exactly how I planned it, more or less. Hyuuga is a bit of an obstruction, however. If you tell him anything – _anything _– I will personally make your life a living hell. Am I understood?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed again, this time unhappily. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. He's still at Reo's anyway. I'm walking home. Or finding a bus. I don't think they run this late." I stopped walking, suddenly remembering what I'd just gone through all of _that _for. "Oh, Hotaru. I got something."

"We'll meet tomorrow."

"Okay. What time?"

"I'll be at Yome's at noon."

"Sounds good. See you then." I snapped my phone shut and slipped it in my pocket. Not half a second later, someone was grabbing my arm and steering me towards the lime green, door-less race car parked across the street. "God, Natsume. You're so _pushy_."

"Get in the fucking car."

I jerked my arm free, half irritated and half scared of what he was going to say, and made my own way around to the passenger side of his car. Reo was walking down his sidewalk and shot me a smile that I had to return for the sake of the plan, but I felt like there may have been a sarcastic edge to it.

"Try not to dirty her up too much, Natsume," he called across the street. "I like mine fresh."

I shuddered and scrambled into the car, glad to see that Natsume had waited until I was in before he hoisted himself in. For the first two minutes, after I struggled into the harness, I remained stubbornly silent, and so did he. But the pressure felt like a ton of bricks on me, and I cracked.

"It's not what it looks like, okay?"

He didn't say anything. I turned to look at him, but his eyes remained trained on the road as he ripped around corners at speeds that were far too fast for residential areas, his face blank. As usual. Sometimes I wondered if Natsume Hyuuga was even capable of showing emotion.

"I don't care what you're doing with Reo," he said after a long pause, "but you better hope he doesn't find out you're faking."

My mouth dropped open, but I snapped it shut immediately after. "I don't know what you're talking about," I managed to say. "I'm attracted to Reo and-"

"Bullshit," he growled. "You're a terrible liar."

I crossed my arms over my chest, irked by his 'know-it-all' attitude. "How do _you _know I'm not actually attracted to him?" I half wished I _did _like Reo, just for the sake of proving Natsume wrong.

"I've seen what attraction looks like from you, and that's not it. You're also a terrible actress."

I stared hard at him, my eyes narrowed. "I do not appreciate your attitude."

His lips twitched into that signature smirk that made my stomach roll from irritation as much as attraction.

"And you have not seen attraction from me," I said, turning to look out the front windshield and holding my chin up in the air with dignity. "Just because I kissed you willingly doesn't mean anything."

He snorted, and I knew he knew I was lying. Just like I knew he was lying when he said he didn't care what I was doing with Reo.

I turned to look at him again, wondering when this mutual tolerance for each other had started, when it had become attraction, and when, if ever, it was going to become something else. I knew it was a crush for me, but I couldn't tell a thing that he was thinking, and I was sure that I never would.

"Thanks, Natsume," I said softly when he pulled to a stop in the parking lot in front of my apartment. "For driving me home, I mean. Not for showing up at Reo's, because him and I were having a _wonderful _time." As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't. I could hear how fake it sounded in my own ears, and knew he wouldn't buy it. There was no point in keeping up the charade in front of Natsume. Just as long as I didn't tell him what I was up to.

"Whatever," he scoffed.

"Turn your head that way, please," I said, pointing out this window. He rolled his eyes, but complied, so I pulled myself out of the window and somehow managed to land on my feet. "See you later, Natsume."

And I really hoped I would.

* * *

><p>I was bursting with anticipation at Yome's the next afternoon, all the information that I'd found out from Reo pretty much bursting from my lips. I literally had to pinch my lips together to keep from telling Koko, or Daichi, or Ruka, or any random customer.<p>

Reo, thank God, hadn't left any evidence of our night together on my skin. When I'd gotten home after Natsume had dropped me off, I'd gone straight upstairs and into the bathroom and had had a half hour shower that was spent furiously scrubbing my neck and shoulders free of any trace of Reo's saliva.

That was one thing I would never do again. I could keep up the charade, just as long as I didn't have to spend another second alone with Reo.

I could have blamed it on the drugs, but I was pretty sure he would have acted similarly if he'd been sober. I was almost grateful that he'd done the drugs, because that was the only reason I'd been able to bring up the subject and the only reason he'd stupidly told me exactly what I was hoping to hear.

Halfway through my shift, Koko's shift ended, leaving me in the store alone. He bade me farewell, saying that he'd see me on Friday and not to cause too much trouble while he was off, and then he left. Not ten minutes later, Hotaru walked in, like she had the whole place bugged and just _knew _when I'd be alone.

She sat herself down at the counter across from me. "So, spill."

I looked left and right, behind her and behind me, and then propped my elbows up on the counter. "First of all, Reo likes to snort crack cocaine before trying to coax a girl to bed, which I think is _so _un-gentlemanly." Catching her look, I lowered my voice. "According to Reo, Persona's drugs are laced with fillers."

Her face remained blank, but so quickly I couldn't even be sure if I was imagining it or not, her eyes flashed with…something. Approval? Excitement? But then it disappeared, and she nodded instead. "Good."

I stared at her, mouth slightly agape. "_Good_? That's all I get? Is a _good_? How about, 'Mikan, I'm really impressed with you. You did a phenomenal job with the task I gave you and now we really have something to work with. Thanks so much!'" When she said nothing, I sighed. "No? Alright. Fine."

"We're only halfway there."

"Always the pessimist, aren't you? We're almost halfway _done_. We've got our foot in the door. Just one more nudge and we'll bust it right open. All we need is _proof _to show Persona's buyers, and then we've got him wrapped around our little fingers." I pushed myself off the counter and poured her a mug of coffee. "Hotaru, we're _doing _this."

"Except now comes the dangerous part," she said logically. "If we get caught from here on out, we're not going to have an excuse. And then Hyuuga and Ruka are screwed, and so are we. Do you have any idea how difficult it's going to be to get this proof? How dangerous? We're going to have to get into one of their houses and make sure we get a picture of the production. Persona is into all kinds of drugs. It could be anything from a grow house to a meth lab."

I stared evenly back at her. "But you have no doubts that we can pull it off."

"I have no doubts that _I _can pull it off, as long as you cooperate and don't do anything stupid."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop thinking I'm going to do something stupid. These two are important to me, too. Even if I'm known them for, like, a tenth of the times you've known them. No, probably more like a hundredth."

"More like a thousandth."

"Whatever. The bottom line is that I want them out of it as badly as you do."

She eyed me, like I was the prey and she was the predator. "Alright. Then I'll find out where production of these so called weak drugs is taking place, and then you and I will get our proof, and you can have Hyuuga all to yourself."

I started to deny that I wanted him all to myself, but Hotaru could see right through me so I just pinched my lips shut and nodded.

* * *

><p>Reo didn't show up at the bar that night, which I couldn't be more than grateful for. Since he'd come so late, Luna hadn't seen me leave with him, because she'd already been off, so I didn't have to worry about her nagging on me and then going after Natsume.<p>

Anna and Nonoko tried to pry the truth of what I'd been doing with Reo out of me, since I was such a terrible liar and they didn't believe me when I said I was attracted to him and had gone back to his place for a night of fun.

Anna had snorted. "Right. You're, like, the most innocent girl I've met."

"How do you know I'm not just pretending to be innocent?" I'd demanded.

Nonoko had rolled her eyes. "You've got this wide eyed look that says that you don't know what the world's all about. You can't pretend something like that, Mik. So seriously, what were you doing with Reo last night?"

I'd evaded their questions by picking up my tray and filling it with drinks before skirting around the counter and going to serve my customers. But that only lasted so long, because the moment I went back to the bar with empties or to fill up my tray again, they pounced on me with their curiosity.

"You know Natsume's probably going to be so furious with you," Anna said. "Mikan, you're the first girl he's actually ever shown a serious interest in for something more than sex. Don't screw it up with him because of someone you don't even like."

My breath caught in my throat at that, because I wanted Natsume _so _bad it hurt, but he couldn't ever know until mine and Hotaru's plan had fallen into place and it was safe to tell him. And that scared me – that this crush had turned into a want, and after that there was no telling what it would become.

I wanted to tell them, I really did. But Hotaru would kill me and then this would never work. And if I wanted to have Natsume, then I was going to have to suck it up and do as I was told.

"I thought you said it wouldn't make Natsume jealous," I said at last.

Nonoko shook her head. "We said that you didn't _need _to make him jealous because you have him wrapped around your finger. One of two things will happen now. Either he'll honour 'Bros before hoes' and let Reo have you, or he'll see what you're doing is full of fakeness and choose to ravage you with passion."

Anna laughed. "Nice choice of words." Her face turned suddenly serious. "In all seriousness, Mikan, do you like Natsume? Because I could have sworn I saw that look you gave him when he was here with Reo. Which is how I know this is fake."

I nodded, electing to at least tell them that much. "I do like Natsume. And he knows it's fake too." Before my overactive mouth could say anymore, I hurried away from them and their curious frowns.

"See you later, Mikan," Nonoko called as we exited the bar at the end of our shift. "Have a fun night with _Reo_." I caught the sarcastic edge in her tone and waved my hand.

"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow."

The night was considerably cooler than it had been, and I shivered as I walked the dark streets to get to my beloved apartment. I was already half asleep by the time I got there, a restless sleep last night and a day full of excitement and lying having exhausted me to the point where I had to try several times to unlock the door to my room.

I stumbled inside, shut and locked the door behind me, and only bothered with brushing my teeth. I crashed into my bed fully clothed in my bar uniform.

* * *

><p>The moment I heard the door open, I sat upright so fast that my head spun. But that didn't stop me from rolling onto my feet on the floor in preparation to defend my room against whoever had burst through the door with so much force it had slammed against the wall behind it. The light from the hallway flooded in, making it nearly impossible to see the face of the intruder, but I recognized him nonetheless.<p>

Releasing my defensive stance, I groaned and rubbed my eyes, trying to focus my vision. "What the hell are you doing here, Natsume? It's," I glanced at the clock on the stove, "four-thirty in the morning."

"After what Reo told you, I'd expect even someone as stupid as you to realize that if Persona ever finds out, she's dead, and have the sense to lock her fucking door at night," he growled.

I dropped my hands, frowning. "What Reo told me?" I went through my foggy thoughts, recalling the events of the past day. When it dawned on me, I looked up at him sharply. "He told you what he told me?"

Instead of answering, he took another step into the room. "If Persona finds out you know, he'll kill you in half a second."

I frowned again, stalking past him to the door and slamming it shut, sealing the bright light out. "I did lock it," I said, and jiggled the deadbolt into place. "I distinctly remember locking the door."

He reached past me and grabbed the door handle, jerking the door back open. I stared at the deadbolt in amazement, and then examined it closely and found that the knob that was turned to lock the deadbolt was not connected to anything, meaning there was nothing to connect to the doorframe when twisted that would result in a locked door.

"No way!" I exclaimed, jiggling the lock again for good measure and then slamming the door shut in frustration. "I never even noticed that! All this time I've been leaving my door unlocked! And now I'm going to have to replace that. Well, I guess it's a good thing that you decided to come barging in here in the middle of the night."

It sounded like he sighed through his teeth, and then he swept his hand over his face. "You are _so _stupid."

I folded my arms over my chest, tilting my chin up and studying him in the darkness of the room. From the moonlight coming in from the windows I could see that he was wearing all black – no surprise there – and that there was an undertone of frustration on his face that was usually blank. And my God, I wanted to run to him and hold onto him and feel the warmth of his body against mine.

I shuffled my feet, resisting the almost unbearable urge. "I'm sorry. I honestly didn't know the lock was broken. Is Persona back in town?"

He nodded once, his expression turning stony. I wished I could run my fingers along his face and soften his clenched jaw and slightly furrowed brow.

"Do you think Reo will tell him that he told me?"

"He told me," Natsume pointed out.

"Why?"

"Because he barely remembered saying it because you were 'entertaining' him to the point that he wasn't thinking straight, and now he's panicked because if Persona finds out, he's dead."

I resisted the victorious grin at hearing about my successful seduction, and instead shrugged. "Then obviously he's not going to tell him."

"If Reo has any sense at all, then he'll realize that it would be wiser to tell Persona he told you, rather than have Persona find out on his own." His eyes darkened. "You better hope he doesn't have any sense." Then he turned and reached for the door.

"Wait."

He paused and turned to face me again, but I was too busy trying to figure out how the word had managed to escape my lips without permission, although it was the word that I'd been thinking. "I don't have all night, Polka."

"Well you _are _the one who came busting through my door."

He rolled his eyes and pulled the door open.

I leapt forward and grabbed his free hand, all joking gone. When he looked down at me with his smouldering eyes, I wanted to melt into a puddle right where I was standing. But instead, I just swallowed thickly and said, "Stay."

He looked out the door, then back at me, like he was indecisive.

"Natsume, please," I whispered. "Stay with me."

His jaw flexed, and he pushed the door closed.

* * *

><p>AN: So I didn't have internet connection at the campsite we stayed at, at least not for free. There was a 10 minute free trial, but it was so darn slow it would have taken fifteen minutes to upload this! But at least I'm home a day early to give you, my wonderful readers, an update! I didn't have much time to write while I was away - what with bungy jumping and tanning next to the ocean ;) - so I don't know when the next update will be comin' around! Surely soon!

Thanks for all of the support thus far, I really, really, _really _love hearing from you guys! I read every single review!

I'm also sad to inform you that, if my calculations are correct, this story may be coming to a close in a short amount of time! I can't say for sure how many chapters there will be left, but I sadly assure you it won't be many!

I also love hearing suggestions; I take them all into account!

xo.


	19. When Leaving Is Harder

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>I wish I could lay down beside you<br>When the day is done  
>And wake up to your face against the morning sun<br>But like everything I've ever known  
>you'll disappear one day<br>So I'll spend my whole life hiding my heart away  
>-<strong>Hiding My Heart, <strong>Brandi Carlile, covered by Adele__  
><em>

* * *

><p>I don't know what came over me to say it, or what it was that made him actually listen to me. The moment I saw him push that door closed, my heart leapt into my throat and I found myself holding my breath.<p>

For my whole life, all it had ever been was people walking in, and then walking back out. I'd ask them to stay, but they always left. My mom, for instance. Even though she'd always physically been there, she'd never been there for _me_, at least not to my knowledge. And her first boyfriend, the one I had liked. I had asked him to stay, and then he'd died.

The bottom line was that people always left, so I wasn't quite sure what to do when Natsume elected to stay. It scared me a little bit, and moved me a little bit more, which would explain why it suddenly became so hard to keep my composure, because my eyes were burning with the need to shed a tear or two.

And Natsume would leave too, as long as Persona stuck around. Which was why this thing me and Hotaru were doing had to work; because I wasn't sure I could handle another person leaving me.

Which is why I gave in. I stopped resisting reason and let my emotions do the walking. My arms wound around Natsume's waist, and I held onto him so tightly that I thought my arms might break. I pressed my face to his chest, wishing that this wasn't on such shaky ground, wishing that I could hold him and know he was never going to leave.

The more prominent these feelings got, the less I began to think it was a crush. And that scared me more than Persona ever could.

I loosened my arms enough so I could tilt my head back and look up at him looking down at me, and I knew this wasn't one-sided. Natsume felt it too, and maybe it scared him as much as it scared me. Because feelings this strong were open opportunities for attack, and that was something neither of us could afford.

He bent at the shoulders to capture my mouth with his in the most gentle, agonizingly sweet kiss I'd ever experienced. My skin crawled with delight, my toes curled into the floor, and a mini firework show was being put on in the pit of my stomach.

Like I had at his apartment, I let go of his waist completely to wind my arms up and around his neck. When I felt his hands slide down and hook around the backs of my legs, I pulled myself up and wrapped my legs where my arms had been, our lips never separating.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was attracted to bad boys," I murmured when I had to pull away to breathe. "I'm attracted to you. But not to Reo. I was just playing games with him." He kissed me again, knocking my train of thoughts off track. "So I _was _lying when I said that you didn't know what attraction from me looks like. But you knew that."

He sighed softly. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"Sorry. It's four thirty in the morning. I'm not really thinking very straight. But it has nothing to do with you kissing me." He kissed me again, and I groaned quietly. "Okay, maybe it has a little to do with you kissing me."

He pulled away. "Go to bed, Polka."

"I don't want to."

"I don't care. You're going to bed." He kept one arm around my back, and used the other hand to try and pry my legs loose, but I held him stubbornly tight.

"Natsume," I said. "You woke me up. I'm not tired anymore and I feel like I'm having an adrenaline rush from you kissing me. And I'm enjoying it, so I'm making a friendly request for you to stop telling me to go to bed, and keep kissing me."

He didn't reply, and I knew he was fighting with himself.

"Quit battling your self control," I chided. "I want you to stay." I unhooked my legs from around his waist, landed on my feet, teetered, grabbed his hand for balance, caught him off guard, and we both sailed towards my bed. How cliché, how that turned out. Not that I was complaining, because with a grunt of surprise, he'd wrapped his arms around me and flipped over so that he landed on his back on the bed with me on top of him, instead of landing right on top of me.

"Your bed is like a rock, Polka Dots," he growled.

"I had to improvise, alright?" I folded my arms across his chest and rested my chin on them. "You'll stay the night, won't you?"

"No,"

I grinned, raising myself up to kiss him again and satiate the hunger that was making me feel impulsive. "Please?" I said, and then flopped onto my back next to him, using the front of his shirt to pull him over me. He caught himself with one arm on the other side of me.

"You're a whole lot more trouble than you're worth."

"You've said that before but you're a whole lot less convincing when you're lying in the same bed as me." I pushed myself up onto my elbows to kiss him and then swung my arms around his neck and pulled him down with me. His arm that had been holding him up gave out, and he landed softly with his upper body on top of me.

On the outside, Natsume Hyuuga did not strike the general observer as one with any sort of gentleness to him. All of those girls I imagined he'd used for sex and discarded like they were inconveniences no doubt had never had him pull away from a kiss and push her bangs away from her eyes, like he did to me now.

The overwhelming wave of emotion stopped me from kissing him again. I caught my bottom lip between my teeth as the hand that had brushed the hair away ran down my jaw, stopped at my chin, and as his thumb skimmed gently across my bottom lip as I released it from my teeth.

I'd never pegged Natsume as a guy to show his emotions to anyone, despite how personal the situation was. But for once, although his face was guarded, his eyes were unmasked, and I saw tender care in them.

"I think I'm ready for bed," I whispered. "Stay, Natsume. I mean it. I don't usually invite guys to have a sleepover, so accept the honour and stay until the morning."

He rolled onto his back, sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. I sighed and sat up with him, readjusting my sleep attire – a.k.a my bar uniform – and stood up at the same time he did.

"Fix your lock," he ordered, heading for the door.

I fell into step beside him. "Yeah, yeah. I'll get right on that. You know, in the morning, when most normal people decide to try and fix things." I opened the door, and my voice softened. "Thanks for checking on me, Natsume."

His hand gripped the doorknob, like he was still indecisive and I had to appreciate the fact that he had a reason for not staying, and I had to assume that the reason wasn't me, directly. "Whether he finds out on his own or Reo tells him, Persona will find out what you know." His dark gaze swung to me in a half glare. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do."

"You don't have a clue what we're trying to do," I said defensively, and then had no choice but to push him the rest of the way out of the room before he could question me further. "Good night, Natsume." I slammed the door shut, started to lock it, remembered the whole reason he'd been in my room, cursed, and grabbed a chair from the table, propped it under the doorknob.

Then, angry at myself for letting him figure out as much as he had, I stormed to my bed, and went straight to sleep.

* * *

><p>"He knows," I said to Hotaru when she walked into Yome's on Friday. "Well maybe he doesn't know, but he suspects we're up to something. And before you can jump down my throat, I did <em>not <em>tell him. In fact, before he could question me further, I shoved him out of my room."

One of her perfect eyebrows arched. "Out of your room?"

I paused, realizing what I'd given away and realizing just how much that compromised me. "Yes. Can you believe it? My lock's been broken all of this time, and Natsume bursting into my room was apparently the only way I was going to notice."

She sipped her coffee. "Someone as dumb as you should not be allowed to live alone."

"Whatchya ladies talking about?" Koko asked cheerfully as he came around the counter from working the till at the gas bar. "Looks serious. Then again, Hotaru always looks serious and Mikan always looks happy, so it's hard to tell. Right now, however, you don't look impressed, Mikan. Hotaru insult you again?"

"Yes, actually," I said dryly. "Apparently I'm too dumb to live on my own."

Koko patted my back sympathetically. "She says it to the best of us."

I turned to him, happy for a change of the subject. "What's got you so jolly this morning, Koko? I haven't seen you with a bounce in your step in a very long time! What gives?"

His grin grew, if that was even remotely possible. "I managed to convince Sumire to sneak away from her life of the rich and the famous and come to dinner at my place Sunday night. She, of course, didn't come willingly, and I may have had to bribe her with a raise, but its smooth sailing from here on out, kids!" Whistling a tune I didn't recognize but one that was unmistakably happy, he pranced away.

"Jeez. He's practically got wings on his feet." I topped off Hotaru's coffee before she could demand it of me in her absurdly rude tone. "Anyway, have you found anything else out?"

"Yes. Are you sure your small brain can handle it?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Come on, Hotaru. I'm the whole reason we've got anywhere in this. Obviously I can handle it."

"The deal has been moved up several weeks," she said mercilessly. It was hard to tell with her face when she was about to unleash some bad news, so it caught me a little off guard.

My mouth had fallen open the minute the words had left her mouth. "How many weeks?"

"Four. The deal is taking place at the end of July."

"B-but, that's in three days!"

"Yes, I believe I'm aware of that, idiot. That means we're going to have to work quickly and efficiently if we wish to find some measure of evidence of what Reo told you. But if what Natsume says is true, and it is only a matter of time before Persona finds out, we'll have to be doubly cautious. That means you can't make any mistakes."

"Whoa, hold on. Natsume told you that?"

One side of her mouth moved ever so slightly into a smirk. "He can deny it all he wants, but he is concerned for your safety and his actions are proving that." The smirk vanished. "That will only make him more vulnerable to Persona, and therefore also making Ruka more vulnerable."

I pinched my lips together, exhaled through my nose, fear and determination making my heart swell. "We'll get them out of this, Hotaru. We can do it. Have you found out where the drugs are being produced?"

She took a sharp breath. "No, but when I do, we'll have to act fast. Sunday, be prepared for a call. I expect you to be available immediately when I need you to be. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. And your mouth will remain shut until this is over. If I hear of you telling Hyuuga what we're up to, I'll have your head hanging on my wall, right above the TV. Clear?"

I grimaced. "Crystal."

She left immediately after, leaving her change on the counter for me to collect – and find that she was short, probably because she assumed she deserved some sort of discount – and then continue with the rest of my duties. The more I worked, the less I worried about what she was planning, the less I worried about Persona, and the less I worried about Natsume.

Working, however, did not seem to clear Koko's thoughts.

"Persona's back in town, you know?" he said when the shop had died down to only two customers, both seated far from the counter. "Natsume told me that your lock was broken. Well, he told Ruka and Hotaru – apparently he was right pissed off with you – and then Ruka told me."

"Forget about the lock," I demanded. "I had no idea it was broken. If I had, I wouldn't have subjected myself to that kind of danger, whether Persona was in the picture or not." I couldn't stop mentally thanking Natsume for not saying anything more about what had happened last night, because that would only result in me getting red-faced and beginning to stutter an excuse.

"He likes you, you know. More than he's ever liked anyone before." Koko's eyes were bright when they met mine, but his face was serious. "I've gone to school with Natsume for years and I have never heard of him acting the way Ruka's described him to be."

Curious, yet wary, I waited silently for him to continue.

Seeing the question in my eyes, he went on. "Ruka said he's been taking his car for drives in the middle of the night, brooding more than usual. He's been showing up at your apartment, furious at you for not protecting yourself. He's always mouthing you off about being involved in this. Oh, and let's not forget that he kissed you and didn't sleep with you." His eyes flickered from his hand on the cloth on the counter to my face. "As a man myself, and as a man with a thing for a lady, I know what this means. When he goes for drives he's trying to get you off his mind, he showed up at your apartment because he was worried and he wanted to see you. He's mean to you all the time because he's trying to push you away while still giving you the choice to stay, and hoping you will."

I caught my lip between my teeth. "Koko, that scares me."

He frowned. "Why? Don't you like him?"

"That's what scares me. Koko, he's going to do this drug deal because of me. Once he does it, he's in it for good and he won't want me to be any part of his life. He's going to leave. And people _always _leave."

His face softened and he took my hand. "Mikan, there's a lot of things Natsume is. He's mean, he's rude, he's stand-offish, he's incapable of showing emotion and sometimes it seems he's incapable of _feeling _it. But he's got a big heart for the people he cares about, and you're one of them. He's not going to leave you if there's a way for him to stay."

"Persona's got his ways."

"Persona doesn't have half the things Natsume has."

"Like?"

"Friends, family, someone who cares about everything he does because she's scared that he'll do something stupid. And he nearly always does, so you're right to worry about him." He winked at me and pushed himself off the counter. "Don't give up on him because you're scared, Mikan. You've got more strength than Persona has ever had; use it to your advantage."

* * *

><p>I was less than pleased to see Reo strut into the bar that night, this time with Natsume and Hayate back at his side. At first I was more concerned about Reo thinking I wanted to finish what we'd started, but when I saw fear flicker through his eyes, and then anger, I realized that the only thing I should be worried about would be him raging on me for squeezing important information out of him.<p>

I must have scared him as much as he scared me, though, because they sat at a table well away from the bar and in Anna's section instead of mine. That was better, not only because of Reo but because after what Koko had told me about Natsume, looking at him suddenly made desperation churn my stomach.

"He can't keep his eyes off of you," Anna said when we ran into each other at the bar. It was rare to get much of chance to talk to coworkers on Fridays, as crazy as they were. "Natsume, not Reo. Just like last time."

I looked towards their table, but they were deep in conversation. With a stab of fear, I realized they were probably talking about the deal. No doubt they'd be competing against each other, but were devising a strategy to make sure at least one of them won.

Luna and Wakako were both working tonight because it was absurdly busy, so you can imagine my disposition at seeing Luna slink over to their table and slide her hands over Natsume's shoulders and whisper something in his ear, bent at a ninety degree angle to ensure that Reo and Hayate got a nice look at her ass.

"With the attention he gets from women, he's going to be beating you at your own game." She beamed at me. "Can't say I didn't warn you. Want to switch me sections?"

I shook my head, a little too quickly. "I'll just pretend he's not there."

I had all of Saturday to stew about Luna being in the car with Natsume the night of the deal. _Tomorrow _night. With how much she hated me, combined with the sly tricks she got from being the kind of girl to stuff money down her shirt and expect guys to grab it, I had very little hope that she wouldn't try something on him.

My comfort came with what Koko had told me. That, for the moment, Natsume had eyes for only me. And for now, that was all I could ask for.

Sunday came and I awoke with a heart that felt like lead. I paced my room until I had to go to work, looking at my phone, looking at the contact Ruka had added, titled _Natsume, _and itching to press the call button. To see him one last time in case things didn't go as planned. In case he left, like people always did.

Like I had.

Koko noticed. "Ruka told me," he said solemnly. "Haven't been able to talk him out of it?"

"No," I said coolly. "Koko, I don't know how to."

He rubbed my back soothingly. "You guys will figure it out. You seem to have an answer to everything, and Natsume's too stubborn to go down without a fight."

I nodded, wishing I could believe that, and then forced a smile. "Sorry for bringing you down. You should be excited. Your date with Sumire tonight, hey?"

He tried to get me to help him decide what to cook, since I was friends with Sumire and I'd worked with her for part of Saturday's shift. I didn't want to tell Koko that Sumire had stubbornly refused to talk about it, so instead I gave him my best suggestions – although I wasn't much help since I'd been cooking microwavable dinners since I'd acquired a microwave.

And then I went home, my phone clutched like a lifeline in my hand as I heated one of those microwavable dinners and sat down at the table to eat it. No sooner had my butt made contact with the chair was a very loud knock sounding on the door.

I had fixed the lock like I said I would, but as a precaution I had continued to prop the chair under the door.

I leapt up at the first knock, half expecting Hotaru as I kicked the chair out of the way; it toppled over with a loud bang, and I cursed because it hurt my toe. Half panicked, half frustrated, I pulled the door open.

And Youichi was the first face I saw.

I blinked down at him, and then up at the man standing behind him, his hand on his shoulder. Natsume's face was grim, and I knew instantly that he wasn't here to say he'd backed out of the deal.

I felt my shoulders fall, recognizing that this was a serious hitch in mine and Hotaru's plan, whatever that may be. I didn't need to ask him what he was doing here.

"He's staying with you," Natsume declared.

I looked from Youichi's unhappy face, to his backpack packed full of stuff, to Natsume. "I thought the deal was tomorrow."

"Unless you want me showing up with him at three in the morning, just take him now."

My eyes searched his face. "Don't go, Natsume."

His jaw flexed, and he made a point to keep his eyes on me and ignore Youichi's pleading gaze that matched my voice. He pushed Youichi into the room. "I'll pick him up in the afternoon. Koko's agreed to give you the day off."

Before he could turn away, I grabbed his wrist. "Why aren't you letting him stay with Ruka and Hotaru?"

His eyes were dark. "Because I want him to stay with you."

"But if Reo tells Persona what I know, it's best if I'll be alone."

"Reo will be far away from Persona. You'll be fine for the night."

I knew what he was doing; if I was in charge of looking after Youichi, I wouldn't have a chance to try and stop him. At least, that's what he was hoping for.

I gritted my teeth together and bit out, "Fine."

"I don't want to stay with the hag," Youichi complained, whirling around and trying to scoot past Natsume, who easily caught him by the backpack. "Let me come with you!" He struggled, but Natsume's stone grip was just that – like stone. Finally, Youichi gave up, and instead flung himself at Natsume, his arms swinging around his waist. I heard a tiny little sob from him, one that he obviously tried very hard to hold back, and I guess that was all I could take.

I crossed one arm over my abdomen, propping my other elbow up on it and pressing my hand to my mouth, fighting the tears that were swimming in my eyes. I watched in my own sort of agony as Natsume reluctantly let his arm fall around Youichi, and as his eyes flickered to mine. I shook my head, silently telling him not to go, but he just answered by prying Youichi off of him and shoving him towards me.

I caught him around the shoulders and pressed his face into my abdomen to silence his tears, to offer him some comfort even though I couldn't feel any of my own. "Don't do it, Natsume. Don't do it for me."

But he'd already turned around, and without another word, disappeared down the hallway.

I bit my lip, closed and locked the door, propped the chair up, all one handed as I was still holding onto Youichi. Then I took him over to the kitchen table and sat him down. "Youichi, I need you to look at me. Look at me." His watery eyes lifted to mine. "Pull it together."

And just like that, he did. His vacant façade, so similar to Natsume's, returned, and he wiped at his cheeks with the backs of his hands, erasing all evidence of tears. "This is your fault," he said eventually. "If you hadn't come here, he wouldn't he going."

I couldn't argue with him. "I know. But you can't stay here." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "You'll be staying with someone else for the night."

"But-"

"It's not up for debate. And I've got nothing against you, no matter how many times you call me a hag. I'm starting to really doubt Natsume's judgement; it's not safe for you to stay here." I pulled him out of the apartment, rushed down the stairs and jogged with him trailing behind me to the nearest bus stop.

"The bus?" he said, and couldn't disguise the note of disgust.

"Yes, the bus. I'm sorry it's not a race car." We waited ten minutes, and the drive to Koko's address, which Koko himself had given me as an emergency contact, only took fifteen. I basically had to drag Youichi behind me, I was running so fast.

I felt completely terrible for disrupting the dinner Koko had been so excited for, but he didn't look the least bit peeved when he answered the door. "Mikan! Youichi! What are you guys doing here?"

"I'm really sorry, Koko, but I have to leave Youichi with you. Natsume just came and gave him to me, but I've got something to do tonight and I can't watch him. I'll pick him up in the morning and watch him until Natsume gets back. I'm so sorry for disrupting your date-"

"Date?" I heard Sumire bark from the kitchen. "This isn't a date! He only wishes it is!"

I winced. "In your opinion, how's it going?"

"I made her pork roast, only to find out she doesn't like pork, so she insisted on ordering pizza. We're just eating. Do you want a slice, Youichi?" He pulled Youichi into the house, smiling at me. "Gonna stop him?"

"Going to try. Thanks, Koko. I'll make it up to you. Bye, Youichi!"

I was at the bus stop ten minutes later when my phone rang in my hand. I answered it so eagerly that I shot to my feet to do so. "Hotaru?"

"We're going to have to work fast. Natsume knows."

"Natsume knows what?"

"He dropped Youichi at your place to stop you, but told Youichi that if you tried to take him somewhere else, to let him know immediately. Now Ruka knows we're up to something, not to mention Yuu's on my case. We're going to have to make it quick before Ruka calls the police and reports me missing because I'm not answering his calls."

"All right."

"I'll pick you up in thirty seconds."

* * *

><p>AN: Almost at twenty chapters! That's farther than I ever thought this story was going to go! Contrary to popular belief, this story has actually not been planned out at all. I have no outline, everything is writted depending on how creative I feel, and I have no idea how it's going to end! It's thanks to your guys that this story has made it thus far, this fast! The support is unreeeal, and so motivating!

I'm trying very hard to do a Natsume's POV chapter, but it's not going well. I might make a few paragraphs though in his POV, soon.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you look forward to the next!

Until next time!

xo.


	20. Toxic Exposure

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>Until that moment, when Hotaru picked me up thirty seconds after she hung up the phone, at the bus stop close to Koko's house, I hadn't had any idea that she could drive a race car. Drive it well, I mean. Like she knew what she was doing.<p>

I saw her pale face illuminated by the lights on the dashboard and pulled the passenger door open. The second I'd closed the door behind me, she was flooring it, sending us sailing at the next corner and, when she pulled the brake, sailing around it.

"I didn't know you could drive like this," I said breathlessly as I hurried to buckle myself in.

"I prefer to be driven by someone else. This requires too much effort."

"Of course. Where are we going?"

"A man named Haruto Chiba owns the house where most of Persona's drug production takes place." She shot me a glance out of the corner of her eye. "It's a meth lab. It's going to be dangerous. I expect you to do exactly as I tell you if you have any hopes of getting out of there alive."

I swallowed thickly. "Sure. How do we get in?"

"I did a drive by already, and it looks like he's off with those involved in the deal. He's probably riding with Reo. We're going to break in."

The house that Hotaru parked in front of was in an upper class neighbourhood with perfectly manicured lawns and houses that were so big they looked like castles. This house was no different, towering high above us as we both slipped out of the car.

"I'll have to disarm the alarm first," Hotaru said. "Don't put a toe out of line."

I followed her up the steps and watched as she reached into the pocket of her black pants. She pulled out the small tools that I had only ever seen on TV, those used for picking a lock, and she worked with them like she'd done it before. The door popped open in fewer than twenty seconds.

On the inside of the house, a quiet beeping had begun.

Hotaru strode inside, leaving me to close the door behind us. She flicked on a light, and then moved over to the alarm system on the wall. Without a moment's hesitation, she punched in four numbers, and the beeping silenced.

"How did you…?" I started, pointing at the lock.

"Ruka has it written in his documents," she said. "He's been here to get supply for Persona. He has-"

A guttural growl stopped her from talking. Without the slightest change in expression, Hotaru looked in the direction of the noise, whereas I looked with my eyes widened in fear and my hands braced for a possible dog attack. The fear went, though, as soon as I saw the dog that was facing us.

It was small enough that it probably wouldn't even reach the height of my knees, and despite the growl it was obviously not a mean dog. It was a mutt of some sort, but I was less concerned about that and more focused on the fact that it only had three legs.

"Do something about it," Hotaru ordered.

I gave her look of disbelief. "Hotaru, it has three legs and is the size of a large bunny. And look, it's wagging its tail."

"If it follows us into the meth lab, it's probably going to get us blown up. Or it'll die from toxic exposure."

My face paled and I approached the dog, who had stopped growling all together and hobbled on its two front legs and single back leg into my arms when I crouched down, reaching up with his face to try and lick mine. "I don't want you getting blown up or dying of toxic exposure, little guy. Sit." I stood up when the dog sat down obediently, and then backed towards Hotaru. "Stay."

The dog cocked its head to the side and stayed.

Hotaru was down the dark hallway, standing in front of a locked door, fishing for her lock-breaking kit. As she pulled it out, I looked up and down the hallways nervously, half expecting someone to pop out and catch us red handed.

"I thought I told you to do something about the stupid dog," Hotaru said dryly.

I looked to where I'd last left the dog and saw him hobbling his way over to us, making the task look easy when he was missing a leg. "No," I said, trying to sound stern, but I'd never disciplined a dog before and certainly not a dog with three legs. "Stay there, puppy. Sit." He sat. "Stay." He stayed.

The door popped open. The dog whined, backed up, and then took off, his tail tucked between what would have been two legs, had he had two legs in the back, disappearing somewhere in the house. I watched him go in surprise, and then realized that whatever was in this room, either the dog had been trained harshly not to go near, or had had a bad experience.

"Hmm," Hotaru said, feigning wonder. "Wonder what happened to his leg."

I gasped. "Hotaru, that's awful!"

"And it's going to happen to us if we're not careful. Let's go. I can feel my phone vibrating. Ruka's still calling." She led the way through the door.

It opened onto a staircase leading downwards. There was no light switch, but the bright white light that appeared almost blue that came from whatever awaited at the bottom of the staircase was enough that we could see our way down. Hotaru went in front, taking careful steps, feeling the walls, scanning the stairs. I didn't know why until she stopped and pointed.

"Step over it," she ordered.

It was a trip wire, so thin and unnoticeable that I was sure, had I gone first, I would have stepped right on it. Heart hammering in my chest, I did as I was told and stepped over it, one foot at a time.

"Oh, my God," I whispered, setting my eyes on the first meth lab I had ever seen.

It was brightly lit by lights along the ceiling that didn't allow for any shadows to be cast. The floor was white tile, reflecting the light and forcing me to blink until my eyes adjusted. There were sinks lined up across the wall, and metal counters in the middle of the room and along other walls. Upon the counters were things you'd expect to find in a school's chemistry lab, tall stands with vials and test tubes filled with orange liquid, connected to big buckets on the floor by long, thin tubes. A propane tank sat nearby, connected to a cylinder of some sort on the metal counter. I couldn't count the chemicals that lined the shelves.

Hotaru didn't look surprised. "It's smaller than I was expecting."

"_Smaller_? This place is _huge!_ And it smells. Why anyone would want to be down here is beyond me."

"Meth labs are dangerous to the health of those who work down here. The chemicals can cause cancer, or nervous system injuries." She inhaled sharply, and I knew she was thinking about the times Ruka had been down here. As if she knew what I was thinking, she added, "He's only been here twice."

"Well, after this he won't have to come down here at all," I reassured her. "Come on. Let's find those fillers. You take that side of the room, I'll take this side."

"No," she said sharply. "Do you think whoever made this would be stupid enough to have only one booby trap? No. It's Persona's lab, and he'll have it well protected. Either stay where you are, or follow _directly _behind me."

She scanned the floor as she walked, testing tiles before she walked on them. Then she would look at the walls, and slowly move her hands in front of her. I followed right behind her, my toes nearly touching her heels. I stepped in the exact places she stepped, and was careful not to wave my arms around when I lost my balance.

We stopped when we reached the first counter.

"Holy shit," I whispered, reading the names of the chemicals on the shelf while she scanned the stuff on the counter. _Bleach, Draino, methylene chloride, trichloroethane, ammonia, battery acid, benzene. _And that was only a few of them. "This place is a ticking time bomb."

"Watch your step," she reminded me. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bomb somewhere."

"Great," I muttered. "That's reassuring. What are we looking for?"

"Fillers."

"Yes, I know that, but I'm not a drug expert so I don't exactly know what can be classified as a filler. For all I know, bleach could be a filler."

She shook her head. "Not bleach."

"Then what?"

"I'll know it when I see it. Oh, for Christ's sake." She reached her hand into her pocket with angry, rushed motions and pulled her cell phone out, tapping the screen with a displeased look on her face. "What do you want?"

I could perfectly imagine Ruka talking to her so fast that she could barely understand, demanding where the hell she was and what the hell she was up to. I could hear only the muffled murmur from her phone.

"It's none of your business, Ruka." She paused, and then seemed to change her mind. "Do me a favour and make yourself useful. Be at Haruto Chiba's residence in fifteen minutes. We're going to need to talk to Natsume and Persona."

This time, I could definitely hear him screaming through the phone. _"Hotaru Imai, what in the name of God are you doing at Haruto Chiba's house? I want you to march your way out of there and-"_

Hotaru ended the call on a sigh.

"He's not going to be happy with us," I said. "But he'll be grateful in the end. Do you think he'll come?"

"He wouldn't dare defy me. He'll be here. But the race will likely be over by the time we reach the starting point. Which means Natsume will have already won. We'll need to find them at the end point of the race."

I nodded. "Right."

"Ah. Here." She pointed to a container labelled _TALC, _then to one labelled _CS. _Always careful, she reached up and plucked the container labelled _CS _off the shelf and popped the lid open. I winced, half expecting it to explode in her face.

It didn't, and she was wearing a victorious little smirk. "Cornstarch."

"I assume that cornstarch is a filler?"

"Yes."

"Well, take a picture then. And let's get out of here."

She shook her head. "Most drugs that are produced now _are _laced with fillers. We're trying to prove that Persona's drugs are _more _fillers than they are drug. A picture of the fillers won't prove that." She pointed to another container. "Here's another one."

"Inositol," I read aloud. "Is that one common?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Hotaru, how are we going to get proof of the drugs being made? We don't have time to set up a camera in here."

It was true that we didn't _have _to show Persona our proof the night of the deal, but Hotaru and I, I knew, were thinking the same thing; once the deal was done, and Persona gave Natsume his reward, what if Natsume didn't _want _out? That was why it had to be done tonight, to prevent that possibility from ever arising.

Hotaru turned around to face me. "A room that's booby trapped as seriously as this one is will have a camera." She pointed past my shoulder, up to the corner of the room, right next to the roof. There, a little camera was pointed down at us. "All I need is the footage."

She reached into her pocket and took out a small digital camera, which she used to take pictures of the containers of fillers, for good measure, I imagined. Then she tucked it away stepped around me to the corner of the room where the camera was. It was unblocked by tables or chemicals, but she wasn't tall enough to reach it, and neither was I.

"Come over here," she ordered.

I obeyed.

"Get on your hands and knees. I'm going to step on you."

I looked down at the floor, at the grungy stains and the cracked tiles, wondering if the stains had come from anything that could corrode skin. I resisted the urge to crinkle my nose in distaste, and instead closed my eyes and thought of Natsume. Not of how mad he'd be that we'd done this, but the gratefulness he'd never admit to of being able to live with Youichi peacefully.

Slowly, I got down onto my hands and knees directly below the camera, and waited as Hotaru stepped on my back and worked her magic.

Except she cursed, and I figured that meant that her magic wasn't working.

"What is it?" I asked through my teeth. She wasn't particularly heavy, but the strain on my back was still making me grit my teeth.

"I'm not tall enough."

"Then you get down here and I'll do it."

She stepped down from my back. "Do you realize how degrading that will be for me?"

"Hotaru," I said, standing up and cracking my back. "This is for the greater good. So you can live with Ruka and marry him and have little babies without having to worry about his past catching up with him. Think about _that. _And I won't ever mention this again."

She glared at me. "I should hope not, or you may be unfortunate enough to lose your life." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a USB device with a button on the end. "Plug this into the side of the camera and press the button. It will download any of the material that's on the camera. It'll beep when it's done. Remove it and step down carefully."

I nodded.

The reluctance was plain on her face, but she lowered herself down like I had and steadied herself beneath the camera. I placed one foot on her lower back, the other between her shoulder blades, and found myself more than tall enough to reach the camera. My hands shaking, I searched the black device for a USB plug in, found it, and attached the USB. I pressed the button.

"You need to stop eating breakfast at Yome's," Hotaru was muttering. "It's making you fat."

I frowned, knowing very well I _wasn't _fat and hadn't gained any weight and realizing that Hotaru just didn't have anything better to say. I didn't take offence to it.

Time ticked away. I thought about getting off of Hotaru's back until it beeped, but she wasn't complaining yet and this was far too memorable of a moment – Hotaru Imai, getting down and dirty in order to accomplish something. Things like that don't happen in every lifetime.

At last, the USB beeped. Two beeps, one right after the other, signalling the end of its job. I unplugged it and started to step down. The minute my foot touched the floor, I knew that my balance was off. My other foot came down too fast, too far behind me, and I felt it sink as my first foot became flush with my second.

Hotaru shot to her feet. I looked down. The tile I was standing on, feet side by side, had sunk down about an inch and clicked as it did so. I felt the colour drain from my face. Hotaru appeared to have stopped breathing.

"I told you there would likely be a bomb."

* * *

><p>AN: Soooo sorry! Been a little bit busy this week so I haven't had much of a chance to write! I think it's because I've been going through a bit of a Harry Potter craze ever since I watched the last movie, and I've been watching all of the other movies in order from the beginning instead of writing :P And I didn't realize how short this chapter was until I uploaded it! Sorry guys :( I'll try to get another one up by Saturday, but we'll see!

Thanks again and again and again for the support (and the criticism)! The feedback is _amazing_! Sorry for the cliffhanger again, but I feel like most of these next chapters will probably end up being cliffhangers :P

Love you guys!

xo.


	21. Risk It All

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>If my heart was a house you'd be home.<br>-**If My Heart Was a House, **Owl City_

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><p>"Well, don't just stand there," I squeaked. "Do something!"<p>

"You're the one that stepped on it," she pointed out dryly. "Which means you don't get to demand anything from me. Just don't move."

She didn't have to tell me that – my blood had turned to ice and my limbs had frozen into place. Cold sweat formed on the back of my neck, and my breath hitched in my throat. Dread seized my heart as I watched her walk carefully around me, her face as composed as always.

"What happens if I stay standing here?" I whispered in a panic. "Hotaru, what if it has a timer?"

"It doesn't," she said factually. "It's triggered by you stepping off of it."

"How do you know?"

She cast me a glance over her shoulder, and I nodded in understanding. Hotaru knew everything, and that was something that wasn't to be questioned. But she didn't seem to know what she was doing now, as she stood, facing the counters with a calculating look on her face.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"How much do you weigh?"

"What?"

"Are you really that stupid?"

On the verge of hyperventilating now, I had to close my eyes and calm myself before answering, "Last I checked, one hundred and ten pounds."

She'd gone behind me now, and I didn't dare turn around and see what she was doing. Instead, I listened with my eyes closed to her rifling around for something, picking things up and then setting them back down.

My entire life flashed behind my eyes at that moment. My childhood, the part I didn't remember and also the part I did remember. My life now, with Natsume and Koko and Hotaru and Ruka and Yuu and all of these people who were important to me. All of these people that I wasn't quite ready to let go of just yet.

I supposed I had just experienced my life flashing before my eyes, but not in a bad way. Because the flare of determination that I'd felt so often was back, and it melted the ice in my veins and brought my heart back to life again.

I had to trust that Hotaru knew what she was doing. And she always did.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut about this to Ruka," she said from behind me. "His knickers are in a tight enough knot as it is."

Maybe it was because I'd never thought I'd hear Hotaru say the word 'knickers', or maybe it was because she was right and I could already picture Ruka's expression, but I choked out a laugh.

"Ah. Here we are." I heard her move something heavy, and then she appeared in front of me, holding a large bucket of something that had a lid on it. Her violet eyes were cool, her expression neutral. "I'm going to put this between your legs, and then I expect you to help yourself and step off."

I nodded, but the sweat had begun to drip profusely down my arms, neck, back, even my legs.

She slid the bucket across the ground until it was sitting on the large tile between my legs. Eyes closed in anticipation of the ground blowing up beneath my feet, I stepped onto solid ground, one foot at a time.

Nothing happened.

Satisfied, Hotaru grabbed the USB from my hand and put it securely in her pocket. "Let's go. Ruka will be here."

My legs were trembling as we climbed carefully back up the stairs, dodging the trip wire, but not as much because of what had just happened as because of what was going to happen. In Hotaru's pocket, she held Yuu's, Ruka's, and Natsume's futures, therefore holding hers, mine, and Youichi's as well.

The little three legged dog was hiding behind a table in the living room, but when we came out of the door and Hotaru closed it and relocked it behind us, he came hobbling over with his little tail wagging.

I crouched down and stroked his head. "Bet I know what happened to your leg, huh?"

His ears cocked, and the next minute the front door was bursting open. I started to freak out, assuming that the owner of the house was home, but Hotaru walked calmly out of the hallway and into the doorway, and I saw as Ruka leapt at her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Thank God you're all right. You've got a lot of explaining to do, Hotaru Imai, if you ever expect me to buy you anything ever again."

She snorted. "I have so much dirt on you, I don't need to explain anything to you to get you to buy me things."

He frowned and pulled away. "Where's Mikan?"

I walked around the corner, the dog in my arms. "Right here. Let's get out of here."

Hotaru cast me a glance over her shoulder. "Leave the dog, idiot."

"I will. He's just really cute and I want to say goodbye first." I kissed the end of the dog's nose and set him on the ground, even though I wanted to tuck him under my arm and make a break for it. "See you later, puppy."

Ruka didn't even wait until we were out of the house before jumping down our throats.

"Do either of you have _any _sense at all? What did you think you were doing? Persona had that place booby trapped the moment his business got going. There are _bombs _in there. Did you know that?"

I glanced at Hotaru, caught her narrowed eyes, and forced myself to laugh. "Bombs? You don't say! Well, I assure you, we had no incidents with any bombs."

He glared at me, and I stopped laughing. "As much as your good humour is endearing, Mikan, it's not exactly suitable for this situation. What the hell do you think you were doing? Answer me that!"

Hotaru reached into her pocket and pulled out the USB. "This contains important information that Persona doesn't want out. What do you think we plan to do with it?"

He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and therefore forcing me to stop. "Oh, no. You're not blackmailing Persona."

She jerked her arm free. "Watch us."

"How do you even know there's anything on that that's worth the effort?"

"Reo," I answered. "Don't ask how. But Natsume also made it very clear that it was true when he said that if Persona ever finds out that I know, he'll probably kill me. So it's really juicy stuff, meaning that it's enough to stop this. We need to get to Natsume and Persona right now."

Before Ruka could reply, the screeching of tires announced someone's arrival and we all turned in time to see a black car ripping down the street towards us. The front passenger window was rolled down, and someone – I couldn't see who – was holding a gun at us.

Ruka threw his arms over both of our shoulders and forced us to dive behind the car Hotaru and I had arrived in as two bullets lodged in the side of it. "Get in the car. I'll meet you at the garage. Make sure you lose them."

The intruding car had reached the end of the street and was heading back, giving Hotaru and I enough time to climb through the passenger door into our seats, and for Ruka to run to his own car, which was parked behind ours.

"Stay down," Hotaru ordered, bringing the engine to life and putting the car in gear.

I obeyed, but despite being low in my seat, I could still see the happenings outside through Hotaru's window. The car with the two men had stopped in front of the house, and while the driver was now hanging out the window with his own gun, and the man from the passenger seat was getting out and coming around the side of the vehicle.

Hotaru ducked as a bullet shattered her window, sailed past us, and shattered mine. I sat, mouth agape, showered with glass, until Hotaru slammed her foot on the gas and snapped me out of it.

"They just shot a _bullet _into our _car_!" I exclaimed.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Hotaru muttered, manoeuvring around a corner. "You can sit up now. They don't have a chance of catching us."

I brushed shards of glass off of my arm, wincing when sharp edges cut my skin. Abandoning that idea, I sufficed for being covered in it and didn't bother brushing it off. Maybe Ruka had a ShopVac we could use.

Hotaru sighed through her teeth. "Why do I punish myself with your presence when you're so _stupid_?" she asked herself, catching sight of the blood forming from the fresh cuts on my arms.

I ignored her. "Someone tipped them off," I stated, and then a horrifying idea struck me. "What if it was Yuu? What if he's been a bad guy all along? He's the one you asked where the meth house was, right?"

She closed her eyes briefly, like she was fighting a headache that I was the cause of, and then opened them in time to swing around another corner. "Yuu is not a bad guy. He couldn't be bad if he tried. It's more likely that there was a sensor on that tile you stepped on. So it's your fault."

"Oh. Sorry." But I couldn't be too sorry, because we'd gotten what we'd gone for, and now we had proof that Persona ripped off his buyers, and therefore a solid reason that Persona had to listen to us.

Ruka was already at the car garage when we arrived. He looked pale, but when he saw us both, color came back to his cheeks. He ran over to the drivers' side door as soon as Hotaru had stopped, and planted a big kiss on her mouth.

"_This _is why I told you not to get windows on your car," he said when he pulled away, plucking a piece of glass off her shoulder. "Lord, when I saw that bullet break the glass, I thought for sure…" His eyes flickered to me, and his relief was evident. "I'm so glad you're both okay."

"Me, too," I decided. "But we're not here to chat about this, we're here for you to tell us how the hell to get to where Natsume and Persona are."

"First of all, we're going to clean you two up."

He really did have a ShopVac, and although Hotaru protested and said she could do it herself, Ruka wouldn't let her and vacuumed the glass off of us himself. I didn't stand willingly, either, tapping my feet impatiently and reaching for the vacuum a few times because Ruka was going too slow.

"This is your best friend!" I exclaimed at one point. "We don't have all freaking day!"

"Okay, Mikan," he replied with, remaining entirely calm and even appearing to fight a smile. "I get that you're anxious to be Natsume's knight in shining armour, but-"

I snorted. "Just because he'll hate it."

"But patience is a virtue," he finished. "Come on. I'll show you the map of the route they were going to take."

He led us into the office in the garage, and rifled around on the cluttered desk until he pulled out a large map that was already marked with black marker. "Reo and Natsume used it first," he explained as he unrolled it before our eyes.

According to the map, the race was over a hundred kilometres, from a start point about an hour drive (at the speed limit) away from where we were now, and a finishing point that was close to the border. The course itself handled many tight twists and sharp turns, but none of that was what concerned me.

What concerned me was the prize. A hefty amount of drugs from a supplier with a rap sheet that Persona could sell for twice as much as he paid for them – paid with cash, that's not even including the effort Natsume would have to go through to win.

Natsume was not a drug dealer. And I would not let him start.

"They'll have started by the time we get there, so we'll have to go straight to the end point," Ruka said, tapping the end dot on the map. "Persona probably won't be right there, because the American who's doing the deal, Roberto, he'll want to give the drugs to the winner in exchange for the cash. And then Natsume will likely rendezvous with Persona. But before we do anything, I need to know what you guys have on him, to make sure it will work."

Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "Do I hear you doubting me?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the USB along her cell phone that was mostly made up of screen. She plugged the USB into the side of the screen. When a picture appeared, she tapped the screen, fast forwarding it slowly, and then handed it to Ruka.

I studied Ruka while he watched, observed as his eyes grew wide when he saw what Reo had told me. When he'd seen enough, he shoved the device back at Hotaru, who was smirking smugly.

"Okay, that'll work," he decided. "Hotaru, I'm going to let you go coordinate the GPS in my car. I break it every time, I swear. I'm just going to go over some things with Mikan and we'll be right out."

Since Hotaru wasn't one to do anything people asked her to, I didn't expect her to listen. But I suppose it was because Ruka had already admitted he was useless that she eyed us both like she knew something I didn't, and then disappeared out of the office.

"Mikan," Ruka said sincerely.

I turned to look at him, surprised to see his face ashen and his eyes sunken, but the ghost of a reassuring smile gracing his lips. Almost scared to ask, I said, "Yes?"

"I think, as Natsume's best friend, it's my job to warn you that he's going to be beyond pissed when you show up," he said soberly. "He's been telling me that he thought you were up to something, but I didn't believe him. I told him not to dump Youichi on you, but he insisted. And now he knows that you did do something, and I can tell you from years of knowing him that he's going to be right pissed off with you."

I nodded in agreement. "Yes, he will. Not that he has much of a reason to be."

"But Mikan, he does."

"No, he doesn't, Ruka. I've been doing things my own way for as long as I can remember, because I _had _to. I can't have anybody trying to take that away from me. It's like second nature. I don't care how much it pisses him off, if it's something I want to do, like saving his sorry ass, then I'm going to do it."

Something clattered outside of the office, and we both heard Hotaru's quiet curse of frustration.

"No, Mikan. Listen to me. He's got every reason in the world to not want to see you there. And since it's more than clear to both me and Koko that you have no idea, I think it's time you knew."

I swallowed thickly, expecting the worst.

"You're innocent," he began. "You're naïve. You don't see all the darkness in life. You don't see all the darkness in _his _life, because to you, it doesn't exist as darkness. It exists as part of him. You make him feel safe. You remind him of home." He took a breath, released it slowly, taking in my watering eyes and trembling lips. "That's why he's in love with you. And he's afraid to lose you."

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><p>AN: So I'm really rattled with myself because these last few chapters have been sooo short, and the next one definitely is going to be as well, but I hope that the last few will be much longer. I'll do my best! And I'm going to start trying that Natsume POV for the chapter after the next one, so if it doesn't appear, you'll know I just didn't know how to write it! :P

I'm beyond tired right now, but I promised I'd get a chapter by Saturday and it's 11:59 right now. Still Saturday :) But for a lot of you I'm sure it is not Saturday :( I apologize for that!

I'd also like to thank _SeraphMia_ for adding me to their community (I'm sorry, this is a very late thank you!) I do appreciate it! :)

Tell me what you think! Love you, love you, love you all!

xo.


	22. The Curve Of His Lips

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>hey, open your eyes and you will see <em>  
><em>that we are all born naive <em>  
><em>yet some choose to refuse to believe <em>  
><em>it's not something you achieve<em>

_let it go, don't let it show _  
><em>how can we be heard <em>  
><em>if we don't say a word?<br>-**Naive (Don't Say A Word), **Lovers and Liars_

* * *

><p>I didn't talk a whole lot more as Ruka set up a back seat in his car for me, and for the first ten minutes of the drive I was silent, trying to absorb what Ruka had said and trying to believe it.<p>

It was hard to picture Natsume loving anything other than his reflection in a mirror. Maybe that's why it was so hard to picture him loving _me_.

But if I should believe anyone, it was probably his best friend.

Sitting in the backseat of a race car when it is going at speeds you only read about in comic books or see on movies like_ Fast and the Furious_, is a whole lot more uncomfortable than sitting in the front seat. I'd always been prone to car sickness as a child (only when seated in the back), but after my mom stopped driving, I'd assumed it had gone away.

How wrong I was.

"Would you quit your belly-aching?" Hotaru said from the passenger seat.

I was doubled over in my seat, my forehead against the back of Ruka's seat. "I'm sorry," I groaned. "I'm feeling a little under the weather."

"Car sickness?" Ruka guessed.

"Right you are, my friend. And to think, I can sit in a passenger seat just fine, but put me in the back and all hell breaks loose. In my stomach, that is. But I'll make it. Just get us there so I can puke all over Persona, if puking is unavoidable."

I didn't puke, even though it felt like there were fairies or gnomes or something in my stomach trying to jump out through my throat. I just kept my eyes closed, my lips pinched tight, and my hand on the window, just in case.

It started to rain while we drove. Ruka cursed, saying something about the rain making the race more dangerous. At first that made me scared, but then I realized this was Natsume we were talking about and that crashing would be a huge blow to his ego, and therefore would not happen.

Thinking about Natsume made me focus less on my churning stomach, so I let my thoughts wander to him. How we'd met, how I'd hated him instantaneously, but had respected him because he was doing something that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to do.

I think I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, my cell phone, which was sitting on my lap, began to ring, but at first I couldn't figure out what it was. It wasn't until Hotaru, annoyed that I wasn't answering it, turned around and smacked my knee, effectively grabbing my attention.

So I did fall asleep, and the moment I opened my eyes again, the sickness came rushing back and I groaned, pressing my hand to my forehead.

"Just ten more minutes, Mikan," Ruka assured me.

The rain had died down to a slow drizzle, and at the speed we were going, I didn't doubt that we'd outrun the storm and not see any of it again. It had gotten much darker outside, though, the only light coming from the headlights of our vehicle and the vehicles we passed.

Confusedly, still in a sleepy state of mind, I picked up my phone and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Mikan," the voice on the other end said with a breath of relief. Like she'd been worried I wouldn't answer. That fact alone made me recognize the voice immediately and jolted me to awareness.

"How did you get this number?" I demanded.

Ruka glanced at me in the rear view mirror; Hotaru turned in her seat.

Yuka seemed to scramble for an answer. "W-well, Rei pulled some strings at your cell phone company and managed to get your number for me. I just wanted to make sure everything was-"

I frowned. "Rei? Who the hell is that?"

At this, Ruka nearly did a one-eighty in his seat, jerking the car to the right as he did so. Wild panic masked his face. He was about to open his mouth when Hotaru grabbed the steering wheel, straightened our course, and then gave Ruka a deadly glare before she turned back to me.

She shook her head, mouthing, "Persona."

"I thought you knew," Yuka said, sounding confused. "It's how I got your number to begin with, before you changed it. Rei called me and let me know that you and him were in touch for the first time. It's been _years _since I've heard from him."

"Yuka," I said, a bit harshly. "How the hell do you know him?"

"I didn't want him to tell you until we were all together, because I wanted to see how you'd react. I thought he might have told you on his own, though. If he couldn't wait. And I assumed he wanted to be the one to say it, because he made me swear not to say anything. But if you don't know, I don't see any sense in waiting."

"Pers-" I began, and then gritted my teeth. "_Rei _and I are not on friendly terms. We're not on speaking terms, so he hasn't told me anything."

"Oh," she said, and something in the way she said it made me think that she wished she hadn't brought it up. "Well, I knew him a long time ago, but once he got into drugs I didn't want him in our lives anymore. I told you he left, but I made him leave."

As thick as Natsume liked to think I was, as naïve as I was to subtle hints and things that were often obvious to other people, I was expecting her next words before she said them, but that didn't mean they didn't shock me speechless and grab hold of my heart.

"He's your father, of course. Not that I'd expect you to know that. Well, I guess I expected he'd told you. I was hoping the three of us could catch dinner some time. As a family."

My phone dropped out of my hand, landed on my lap. I could hear her still talking through like I was still listening.

"…done with drugs. I thought maybe we could get back together, and then the three of us could be a family again."

Hotaru was still watching me, Ruka still looked at me through the rear view mirror with his forehead creased. Hotaru knew from the look on my face, but that was to be expected because Hotaru knew everything.

"Mikan?" My mom said through the phone. "Mikan, are you there?"

Hotaru's eyes flickered to my phone, then back to my face. I swallowed thickly – although it felt like my throat had closed – and picked it back up.

"Mom," I said, wincing when my voice cracked. "He's lying to you. He's still in to drugs. Our lives aren't the only ones he's ruined. And when I'm finished with him, he's never going to come back into my life."

I could hear her breathing on the other end of the phone. "B-but he said…"

"He lied," I repeated. "Persona – Rei – is worse than he ever was and he thinks you're in the middle of it. The only reason he contacted you was because Hibiki was in to drugs too, and he thought you were competition. He's not coming back, mom."

Once I'd snapped my phone shut, my entire body numb with disbelief and horror, tears flooded my eyes. I dropped my face into my hands and struggled to pull myself together, but everything I'd ever known suddenly seemed like such a lie.

"He wasn't keeping tabs on me because he thought I was competition," I breathed, raising my head. "Maybe he thought for a moment that I was involved with Hibiki, but the real reason he was keeping tabs on me was to make sure I never found out."

Hotaru understood, but Ruka, who'd heard only what I'd been saying, was still looking from me, to the road, to Hotaru, then back to me. "What? What are you talking about? What didn't he want you to find out?"

I closed my eyes; a single tear was born, lived its life as it trailed down my cheek, and then died on my lips. I wiped it away with a hint of annoyance.

"He didn't want me to find out I was his daughter, because having a kid was sure to put him at risk in his profession," I said.

"Persona is your _dad_?" he said in disbelief.

Hearing it from Ruka was almost worse. My stomach began to churn again, my hands began to shake. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Ruka swung the car to a stop and Hotaru got out of her seat, pushing it forward in time for me to lunge out her door and empty the contents of my stomach on the sidewalk. Ruka came around the other side of the car and patted my back comfortingly.

A single sob racked my body. "He's a monster, _and I'm related to him_!" I cried. "I've got half of his genetic material. I'm more like him than I ever thought."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hotaru said nonchalantly. "Clearly, whatever genes of his you inherited, you received only the recessive ones that don't make themselves visible when paired with a dominant gene from your mother. Therefore, in this case, your relation to Persona has no relevance to who you are."

I nearly smiled at her logic.

"Okay, then let's get this over with. You girls can show Persona what you've got, and then he'll be out of our lives. You won't have to worry about him anymore, Mikan."

As good as Ruka's intentions, that wasn't the case. As much as I'd hated my father figure for leaving when I'd had no idea who he was, I'd still thought about it all the time, wondering what would happen if I ever met him. No amount of imagination could have prepared me for _this _twisted sort of meeting. And no amount of reassurance would ever make me believe that knowing he was my father wouldn't haunt me for the rest of my life.

"Five more minutes on the road, Mik," Ruka said. "Then you can see Natsume, and you can say whatever you need to say to Persona, and then it's done."

I nodded, although I really didn't believe him anymore.

If Persona hadn't wanted my mom to tell me, why had he given her my number? What advantage did that give him? I knew, a gut instinct, that he'd contacted her in the beginning because of Hibiki. But why?

And then it hit me, like a tonne of bricks that knocked the breath out of me and threatened to make my knees give.

Because if she was involved in Hibiki's business, then he wanted her to know that he was in contact with me, to use me as leverage over her if he ever needed to. And he gave her my number so that I'd figure it out, even if she didn't tell me, that he was in contact with her, and that gave him leverage over me.

"That rotten bastard," I breathed, slumping against the side of the car. "All right. Let's go. You think the race is done?"

Ruka was looking at his phone. "I _know _the race is done. But it doesn't sound like anybody else is too happy about this. Natsume might be in some trouble if he's by himself. Let's go."

I climbed back into the car, my thoughts racing. Thinking of Natsume in danger did a little bit to take the edge off of my newfound knowledge. But then I couldn't really picture Natsume in danger, because he was always so cool with handling his situations. I just couldn't produce an image of a bunch of sore losers being any match against him.

The race had apparently ended just moments ago, and the parking lot in front of an old warehouse that we pulled into was still swarming with drivers getting out of their vehicles. Some of them were clearly angry, kicking the tires of their cars and even picking fights with other racers. I didn't see Natsume, but I did see Hibiki, and he did not look impressed.

I figured it was because if he'd won this race, he no longer would have had to buy from Persona. But since Natsume had won, he did.

Ruka pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number. "Persona," he said in greeting, his eyes sliding to me, but I gave him no reaction. "I need to talk to you. Where are you and Natsume?" He waited as Persona replied, and then, "Okay, we'll be there in a minute."

Hotaru and I waited expectantly.

"All right," he said, tucking his phone away. "Natsume is in that warehouse over there," He pointed, "finalizing the deal with Roberto. Persona's in this warehouse here with everyone else." He looked at me, obviously expecting me to make my own decision.

"I want to find Natsume first," I said quietly. "Before I face Persona. You guys go ahead and find him. I'll go find Natsume."

Ruka looked sceptical. "Mikan, he's doing a drug deal. I don't think it's best-"

"Maybe I can stop him before it's finalized," I interrupted. "And it's not like I haven't put my nose in other places it hasn't belonged before, right?"

"Let her go," Hotaru said. "He won't let anything happen to her. And it'll be her own fault if he's pissed off, and she can deal with it."

There was a long silence from Ruka as he contemplated this, and for a moment I didn't think he'd cave. Despite how little he knew me, I could already see his big-brother actions towards me and although they were sweet, at the moment I couldn't have them. But he would be a fool not to listen to Hotaru, so eventually he nodded.

"Fine. But you have to be careful. These guys are going to be popping out the booze any minute now and they're going to get horny. I want you to walk _straight _over to that warehouse and-"

"Yes, mother," I said, fighting a smile.

He gave me a serious look. "Luna might be there, so don't take it to heart if she'd clinging to his arm like a leech. We'll be here when you find him."

"Do you think Persona will make a scene?" I wondered.

Hotaru shook her head. "Not when half of the people he supplies to are right there."

I nodded, breathing deeply. All I had to think of was Natsume being at the end of this road for my confidence to come back, and I climbed eagerly out of the car after Hotaru. Ruka made sure I was very aware of which warehouse I was to go directly to, and then he said that if I hadn't found them in fifteen minutes, he would assume I was in trouble and send a search party out.

"I'll be fine." As I said it, a man walked past Hotaru and I and whistled.

Ruka seethed, apparently peeved that anyone had the guts to whistle at his girlfriend, but Hotaru caught his arm with a deadly look and said, "I'll be embarrassed if you stoop to his level and go after him, and will force you to be my slave for the next week. No, the next month."

He sighed. "Hotaru, I'm your slave everyday, regardless of how I act." But he put his arm around her shoulders as he said it. "Be careful, Mikan. And I'll warn you, he'll hate you for being his knight in shining armour."

"Of course he will," I snorted. "That's a huge blow to his ego because the knight in shining armour is supposed to be _his _job." I waved at them, and then started across the gravel parking lot, which was now alive with raucous laughter and revving engines.

I hoped Natsume didn't enjoy these parties enough to not want to give up his job if it meant never going to one again.

Aside from the occasional whistle and the two times where I had to dodge hands that were aimed at my butt, the walk to the next warehouse was uneventful and gave me too much time to think.

About how the man who had contributed half of his genetic material to me was within the same vicinity.

About what Ruka had told me about Natsume.

About how I felt the very same about Natsume.

About Natsume.

The warehouse where the drug deal was supposedly taking place was dark when I stopped at the door beside the huge garage doors. I stared at the door, wondering what I was going to see on the other side.

I figured I'd better prepare myself for the worst, because that would mean that no matter what I saw, I wouldn't be disappointed. And my life had been far too full of disappointment to want to deal with it now.

So I pictured the worst in my head, then inhaled deeply and twisted the door knob.

It was pitch black on the inside. So black that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I started to reach for my pocket to grab my cell phone and use it as a flashlight, which was when I noticed that I must have left it in the car, because my pockets were empty.

My heart leapt into my throat. "Natsume?" I called into the darkness. "Natsume? It's me…" My voice echoed back to me through the emptiness of the warehouse, which was the first indication that Natsume was not here.

Frowning, I stepped one foot into the warehouse for good measure, felt around for a light switch, found several, and flicked them all on. They took a minute to power up, and I had to blink against the sudden brightness, but what they revealed just made my frown deepen.

Completely empty. Just four walls and a cement floor. That was it.

Clearly Natsume was not here.

But it wasn't until I turned around, my hands planted firmly on my hips in utter confusion, did I realize that Natsume hadn't ever been here. Persona had, and he was standing right in front of me now.

His lips curved. "Hello, Mikan. I believe we have some catching up to do."

* * *

><p>AN: How many of you saw that one coming? I hope not a lot of you, because it wasn't even my idea! I got the suggestion in a review from _**animelover1410 **_and thought that it would make for an interesting twist! Sorry it's been so long, guys! Work, sunshine, and work :)

I want to thank all my readers again for the ongoing support and lovely, _lovely _feedback I'm getting. Makes me oh-so-joyful!

Also, Lovers and Liars is a _great _band, and you should all check them out! They aren't very well-known, but their music is so different and I'm in love with it. Just a friendly suggestion! If you're looking for somewhere to start, check out _**Nothing Left Here to Burn**_**. **That's the one that got me hooked :)

Until next time!

xo.


	23. Two Sides Of One Thread

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Here's my shot at getting inside Natsume's head =S

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><p><em>I hate you when you're gone, I hate you turn me on,<br>I hate how much I need you when I don't know where you are.  
>-<strong>I Hate You, <strong>Sick Puppies_

* * *

><p>My blood ran cold, sending a shiver down my spine, to my toes, and then back up again. My breathing became shallow, my eyes narrowed as I stared at the man who'd given me life, and who clearly planned to take it away from me now.<p>

He was wearing a black overcoat, over a blood red button-up. His hair was mussed, reminding me of Natsume for a fleeting second, and he was wearing the sunglasses I'd never seen him without. I'd never seen his eyes, and now I thought that maybe that was a good thing; I didn't have my mother's eyes, so what if I had his?

His smirk was unnerving.

I ached to back up a step, but knew I would only corner myself further than I already was, and instead forced myself to stand taller and raise my chin. "I don't think 'catching up' is what you have in mind, Persona. Oh, wait. Should I call you Rei? Or maybe _dad_?"

We both winced at the word coming out of my mouth.

"I told her not to tell you," he said stiffly.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "She never did listen very well. I'm very disappointed in you, though, for lying to her and making her believe that you actually wanted anything to do with her to begin with, much less anything to do with her _now_." I knew that talking was my only chance to stall him, but I was running out of things to say that wouldn't compromise me or my mother. "But I don't think our little _family _– although that's really not what this should be called – problems are what you're here for, am I right?"

He looked around, his entire body relaxed, his hands deep within his pockets like he was out for a nightly stroll. I wondered what he was playing at. Looking around for a place to hide my body? Looking around for someone to materialize and help him do this? Do _what_? What did he even plan on doing with me?

"You're more observant that I originally thought you were," he said eventually.

The way he stood, between the next warehouse and me, left me no way to be able to effectively skirt around him. I wouldn't make it two seconds, leaving me no choice but to stand, immobilized, with my back to the open door.

"I'm full of surprises," I said through my teeth.

This seemed to amuse him. "I'm sure you are. As am I. Certainly you must take after me in _some _things, even if a majority of your traits seemed to be linked back to that idiot mother of yours."

"You slept with her," I said venomously. "You _stayed _with her until you found out she was pregnant. So you should probably stop beaking her."

"Against my better judgement," he said. "But, like you said, I'm not here to talk about your mother. You know what I'm here for."

I nodded curtly, feeling dread tugging harder and harder at my stomach with each moment that passed. "You never wanted me to know that you were my father. You don't want anybody to know that you have a _kid_. Why's that, Persona? Because you feel obligated to protect me from your lifestyle? Or because having a kid makes you weaker to the people you associate with?"

The smirk was back. "I have no obligation to protect you."

The single thread of hope that he wasn't as bad as he made himself out to be that I'd been desperately trying to cling to snapped with those words. And I knew that this was the deepest, darkest hole I would ever find myself in. This time, with no promise to ever claw my way out.

"That, combined with what I've heard about you as of late, adds up to one thing," he said, and then took his hands out of his pockets and spread them out, palms up, fingers wide. And in the simplest of tones, as if it was not a big deal, he said, "You know too much."

* * *

><p><strong>Natsume's POV<strong>

I knew she would be here. The idiot was attracted to trouble like a fish to water and this was the most troublesome place that she could be.

But if this is where she'd been headed straight after she dumped Youichi at Koko's, then she would be here by now and I hadn't seen her – not that I'd been remotely interested in looking for her. If she wanted to find me, then she would.

But she hadn't, which led me to believe that she'd been up to something else.

"Natsume," Luna purred from beside me, where she clung to my arm like a leech, apparently unaware of the irritation she was provoking. "You won the race. Why don't you lighten up?"

She'd been pissing me off the entire race. I suspected Persona had her go with me for the sole purpose of pissing me off; he knew I drove better when I was angry. And her constant jabbering and the way she couldn't keep her hands off of me had done the trick.

I almost preferred Polka-Dots' squealing and panicking. And she'd pissed me off, too, when her eyes had gotten all glassy when I'd taken Youichi to her. If there was one thing I hated more than a girl who couldn't – wouldn't – shut up, it was a girl who cried.

Hm. Imagine that. Polka was both.

So why didn't I lighten up? Because Polka-Dots was stupid and she hadn't shown up yet so I could hear what stupid idea she'd gotten in her head this time.

I grunted at Luna and pulled my arm free, scanning the party. I'd already completed the deal. I'd shaken hands with Roberto, given him cash in exchange for the drugs and a pat on the back for satisfying his entertainment needs as well as his financial needs for the moment. I was still here because I wasn't permitted to leave until Persona was done chatting, and until he had a private discussion with me.

I was in now. Now that I'd completed a deal, I'd be Persona's bitch. A thought that didn't sit well with me at all.

The assholes who'd lost the race continued to threaten me as I walked past them, but I was indifferent to their words. I didn't care, to begin with, and I was far too distracted to show them what they were asking for.

That was when I saw them, two familiar faces in the throng of people around me. For a moment I let myself believe that she'd stayed out of trouble, that she wasn't with them, but I knew that was too good to be true.

Ruka turned to look at me, apparently surprised to see me, confirming my suspicions that he hadn't expected to see me.

"Wait…" He frowned, but Imai had caught on already. "I thought you were…"

Imai whirled around, heading back the way they'd come. I was right on her heels.

* * *

><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

I managed a smile that I felt pretty confident about. "The joys of being nosy, hey?"

"It's quite annoying, actually," he disagreed. "I had no idea you'd go through such great lengths to save your petty little friends. It intrigues me, it does. That someone like you, well out of harm's way as long as you stayed ignorant, would get yourself into this for the sake of other people who have been in this long enough."

I snorted. "I wouldn't expect you to know anything about consideration for other people."

"For someone like Natsume," he went on as if I hadn't spoken. The smirk came back, and I was sure that if I had been able to see his eyes, they would be gleaming with malicious amusement. "Someone like Natsume, who was never entirely honest with you. He knew, Mikan. Knew my secret."

_I told you, everything Persona knows, I know._

I swallowed thickly, refusing to be shaken by his statement.

"Natsume couldn't even sacrifice that for you, to tell you that he knew who your father was. And yet here you are, doing everything you can to save him."

I shook my head stubbornly. "There's a reason he didn't tell me."

"And what, my sweet, would that reason be?"

"I-I don't know." I was struggling to hold on to my composure, but I couldn't when I was finding sense in his words and wondering the same question he'd just asked. "Natsume has a reason for everything."

"Then he has a reason for trying to stop you from doing this. Did you ever think that maybe he doesn't _want _out. Natsume is paid well, he's accommodated well, and he enjoys the people he works with."

"I know you're lying, so you can drop that act right now. Turning me against him won't work."

He sighed morosely. "Shame. Then I suppose I haven't any other choice."

I anticipated his arm coming at me before it did, so I ducked cleanly out of the way and heard it whiz past the top of my head. But my sudden movement to get out of the way knocked me off balance, and I stumbled sideways, barely catching myself with my fingers on the gravel.

My momentum allowed me to get out of his way before he'd recovered from my dodge, but he was faster than me and far more experienced in getting people to do what he wanted. I'd barely taken two steps before one hand found my wrist, stopped me, and the other arm came around my neck.

* * *

><p><strong>Natsume's POV<strong>

"Nogi, you idiot," Imai was saying through her teeth as she shoved her way out of the warehouse.

Ruka was frantic. "But Persona said he'd be here, and you'd be there, and she wanted to see you and-"

"You've been duped," she interrupted. "Persona knew Hyuuga wouldn't be there. He wanted her alone."

"But we know where she is!" Ruka protested.

"He'll move her," I said, my voice hard as stone, and the simple truth of my words had Imai's footsteps quickening.

"He must not know that I have the information," Imai said in her calculated tone.

I didn't have to ask what information she was talking about, because it was painfully obvious. Clearly the idiot had made it her personal mission to find proof of what Reo had told her, and had dragged Imai along with her.

I'd needed her to stay away, because I'd known it was only a matter of time before Reo opened his mouth like the chicken shit he was and told Persona what he'd accidentally told Polka. And he had, and Persona had been pissed and had promised proper punishment before storming off.

But obviously Polka was now a threat, and Persona had never liked threats.

"Hyuuga!"

I didn't intend to stop, but he stepped in front of me and gave me no choice. It was that asshole Hibiki, the one who'd been stupid enough to hurt Polka and then experienced what she was like when the claws came out. That alone made me want to tear a strip off of him, but he wasn't my priority at the moment.

"What?" I said coolly.

"You cheated," he accused. The man looked like swine, with his beer-belly hanging over the waistline of his pants and his face contorted in a scowl.

My patience was already worn thin, and him standing there accusing me of cheating when I had somewhere else to be was the last straw. My fist made contact with his face before he could blink, knocking him back several steps and out of my way.

He recovered quicker than I expected him to. As I went to step around him, he wrapped his beefy arms around me, trying to force me to the ground. I managed to turn him around, so that when we hit the ground, he was beneath me and I was able to get up on my knees, punch him two more times in the face – one for what he'd done to Polka, the other for wasting my time.

A ring of people had formed around us, chanting, "Fight! Fight!" like a bunch of high schoolers. I didn't have the patience for them either, and went to push my way through them while Imai shook her head in disbelief and Ruka looked between me and Hibiki like he felt the need to do something. I hadn't gotten two steps when the bastard at my feet wrapped his meaty fingers around my ankle.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, we don't have time for this," Imai muttered, and although I'd always suspected she physically assaulted Ruka, I'd never seen her kick a man in the balls like she did to Hibiki.

A pained breath wheezed out of him, and he released my ankle before I could smash his teeth in.

* * *

><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

I wasn't sure anyone would hear me, but I screamed anyway. Screamed so loud that I was sure Persona would have cringed, and that I may have had a chance of waking the dead. But the music and the shouts and the sounds of the party at the next warehouse over were too loud, and drowned out any noise coming from me.

"Get your paws off of me!" I shouted, kicking my feet and twisting my body wildly. "What do you think you're doing? Ruka knows I'm here! He _knows I'm here! _As soon as they find out you're not where you said you'd be, they're going to come here looking for me!"

"That's why," he said in a dangerously low voice, his mouth right by my ear, "we're not going to stay here. Hush now, Mikan, or I'm going to have to make you quiet."

"You'll do no such thing!" I could feel him trying to walk with me, but with my squirming he wasn't going very far. "If I'm dead, Persona, you've got nothing to hang over Natsume's head!"

He chuckled darkly. "Why, of course I do. There's still Youichi, and Ruka, and their dear friend Koko. Natsume's important to me, you see. To my business. That's why I can't have you running around with what you know." Then, apparently losing patience with me, he lifted me clean off the ground and started across the parking lot, disappearing behind the warehouse.

I screamed and thrashed harder. My shoe went flying.

_Come on, Hotaru, _I pleaded silently. _Come looking for me._

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><p><strong>Natsume's POV<strong>

The crowd's chorus of, "_Ooohs,_" at Imai's kick did nothing but irritate her, but it did allow her to stalk through the group of people without pushing her way through – everybody parted for her, apparently worried she'd turn her temper on them.

I'd never seen Imai so mad before. Mad at Ruka for being so thick-headed, and maybe mad at Polka for getting herself into this. But also mad at herself for letting it happen. Clearly there was something about Polka that Imai respected.

Once we got to the grassy ditch that separated the parking lots of the two warehouses, Imai broke into a run. As soon as I heard the muffled screams, I was ten steps in front of her.

* * *

><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

Illuminated by the moonlight that streaked down from the clear, starry sky, I could see a car parked, partly hidden, by the warehouse. I knew this was my ride out of here, whether I wanted to go or not.

My shirt was beginning to ride up because of his arm around my waist. When he readjusted his arm, his skin was directly on the skin on my stomach, and every time I moved it pinched and burned. Not to mention, whenever I struggled the grip he had around my neck tightened and I became more and more uncomfortable.

My air supply was dwindling, and with my exhaustion from struggling it wasn't doing me any good. I could barely breathe, and as soon as I noticed this, I began to panic, less concerned about getting away than I was about getting a proper breath.

I clawed at his arms, scraping skin off and making him curse. But the grip he had around my neck didn't loosen. In fact, it got tighter. And the next thing I knew, I was falling into darkness.

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><p><strong>Natsume's POV<strong>

The screaming stopped suddenly, followed by the slamming of a trunk door. I swung around the corner of the warehouse, just in time to see the taillights of a car disappear onto the road on the other side of the parking lot. On the ground, a small shoe caught my eyes. I picked it up, remembering that she'd been wearing these shoes the day I'd met her.

I cursed, then whirled back around as Ruka and Imai arrived. "I'll follow him."

"She'll hate you for coming to her rescue," Imai said matter-of-factly. "I'll come with you. It'll lessen the blow."

"Hotaru, you go with Natsume," Ruka said, placing his hand on the small of her back. "I'll follow behind you guys."

"If you can keep up," she said, and then followed me back the way we'd come.

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><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

I'd heard about sleeper holds. The boys in my middle school went through a phase where that's all they did to each other at recess, when they were sure the lunch supervisors weren't looking. I knew they didn't last long, so I guessed that I'd only been out for five or six minutes, at the most.

However long it had been didn't matter much, though, considering I was surrounded by darkness and entirely disoriented. It took several seconds before I was able to distinguish that the rumbling sound I was hearing was the engine of a car, and several seconds more to realize that I was in the trunk.

Persona was taking corners sharply, wheels squealing. My entire body was being tossed around the small space that I was stuffed into, and I kept hitting my head on something that felt like a car jack.

It took another minute for me to find my voice and make my tongue work, but once I did I was sure Persona would regret stuffing me in here. I screamed bloody murder for all I was worth, kicking my legs and pounding my hands. I tired to pick up the heavy metal thing beside my head, fumbling with it and nearly dropping it on my face. Once I got a good hold of it, I tried banging it against the trunk door, still screaming.

I abandoned that idea when it didn't seem to work and when I recalled reading an email before I'd run away about smashing the taillights out and sticking your hand through the hole you made in order to grab someone's attention. This didn't work, however, because I didn't have the strength in my arms or enough room to move in order to smash anything.

With a groan, I let go of the car jack and pressed my hands to my warm face, wondering where the hell he was taking me and how the hell he was going to kill me and make it look like an accident.

The car ride seemed to take forever. I stopped screaming, not because I'd given up hope but because my throat was raw and sore and I needed a break before I started again. I didn't thrash around anymore either, far too tired and in need of a quick rest. That way, I'd have energy when Persona opened the trunk of the car, and perhaps I'd be able to get the best of him.

What seemed like hours but could have only been several minutes later, the car bumped over a curb and came to a slow stop. I caught my breath, turning myself around so that my feet would be the first thing Persona saw when he opened the trunk. I listened carefully as he climbed out of the car, slammed the door shut, and popped the trunk open.

He'd been prepared for me to fight. As soon as the trunk opened and cool night air washed over me, I went to kick whatever I could. Before I could touch him, I heard a sickening crack and felt a shock of pain in my shin, so powerful that it took my breath away.

"Nice try," Persona said dryly, dropping the metal crowbar he'd used to hit me. I didn't have a chance to recover from the blow before he was wrapping my ankles in layers upon layers of duct tape.

By the time he started to haul me out of the trunk, I'd snapped out of it and began to struggle again – without my legs, since my left shin still felt like it was exploding – swiping at him and trying to free my hands. But I stopped the minute he picked up the crowbar again.

He seemed to enjoy this, his lips curving in that masochistic smile. "That's right. Behave like the good girl I'm sure you are."

I still gave him a hard time, because I wasn't going down easy, but not enough that he felt the need to strike me for. While I stubbornly moved my hands around to make taping them difficult, I studied my surroundings.

We were out in the country, surrounded my rolling fields of knee-high grass and hills off in the distance. The only buildings that I could see were a small shack next to an even smaller shack. I guessed that the second one was a shed, and that's where Persona was headed.

He finished with my hands and got to work on my arms, wrapping tape around and around them until they were pinned to my sides from the elbow up, and then applying more tape to my lower arms to make sure I couldn't lift them. And then he threw me over his shoulder. My right shoulder popped, earning a groan through gritted teeth out of me, accompanied by, "You'll regret this. I swear you will."

"Ah, but no one will know it was me. This will just be a big accident." He had to unlock the door on the shed – distantly, I heard the howl of a coyote. "The owner of this house, which no one will be able to trace back to me, forgot to turn off the stove. The fire spread quickly to the shed before fire crews arrived. There was only one casualty – you. You liked to come in here to paint."

The shed door swung open. Inside was just like any other shed, with a lawn mower and a rake and a broom and a shovel and tons of other tools. And a paint set. Aside from the spider webs and overwhelming smell of gasoline, I'd say it was a nice place to set up shop.

"Natsume and Ruka and-"

"Natsume and Ruka will be quiet," he finished for me. "I have Youichi to use against Natsume, and that little girlfriend of Ruka's to use against him. I won't have any problems with them." He placed me – or threw me – on the ground so that my tailbone cracked and my back slammed against the side of the lawn mower. "But don't worry. I'm not done with you quite yet."

For the first time, I felt tears brimming my eyes as I looked up at him. This man who had contributed half of his genetic material to me. "Why are you doing this?" I whispered.

He crouched down in front of me. The room was dark aside from the moonlight filtering in through the small window behind Persona and in front of me, so all I could see of him was the outline of his face and the shine off of his sunglasses.

"You were too nosy," he said, in a tone that was sarcastically sorry. "Reo came whimpering to me like a baby before the race, saying how he was so sorry but he told you something he shouldn't have. I called a few of my guys, and had them drive to the house where a majority of the production takes place, and sure enough, they find _you_. And Ruka, no doubt there to pick you up. I plan to question him afterwards, find out what he knows. You got away – I am _not _impressed with them – and I know you were with one other person. Who was it, Mikan?"

My mouth nearly dropped open. Surely he saw the incredulous look on my face through the darkness. _He didn't know_. He had no idea Hotaru had been with me. He didn't know that Hotaru had the information, too.

And suddenly, I didn't feel like crying anymore. Because we had won. Hotaru could still go through with the plan. Because he didn't know. And I wasn't about to tell him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, too cheerfully. "I was alone. I called Ruka to pick me up."

He kept his composure. "Don't lie to me, Mikan. It'll only be worse for you."

I snorted. "I don't think it could be worse. I was alone."

He stood up, amusement gone off of his face. He wandered around the shed, flicked on a light that burned my eyes, and then picked up a small garden shovel and twirled it in his hand. "This isn't a wise game to play, Mikan."

I watched the shovel warily. "I'm not playing any game. I was _alone_. No one else would do it with me. And I couldn't tell Natsume or Ruka. They'd never let me do it. They'd just-"

"Liar!" he spat, apparently tired of this charade, because as he said it, he lashed out with the shovel and caught me on the cheek. It stung, but I was sure it didn't break anything and if it broke skin it didn't break a lot. "There was another car with you, and another boy. _Who was it_?"

I kept the incredulity off my face this time. He thought I'd been with another boy.

_Oh, thank you Hotaru, for preferring short hair._

"Whoever you had trying to shoot us, they were obviously blind," I said stubbornly. "Because I was not with anybody else."

His jaw flexed. He crouched down in front of me again, dropping the shovel and rolling out the duct tape again. He forced me to bend my legs, indifferent to the strangled cry that came when he moved my injured leg, and then he wrapped the duct tape around and around my thighs and shins, securing my legs, ignoring my pleads for him to avoid the leg I was sure he'd broken.

When he was done, I was struggling to blink away tears and succeeding, slowly.

"Then I guess I'll just have to speak to Ruka." Then he slapped the piece of tape – hard – over my mouth.

I laughed into the tape, although my eyes still burned, because he had lost. By the time he got to Ruka, Hotaru would already be dangling her evidence over his head. He would be under her thumb.

"Things are going to get warm for you," he said, the malicious smile returning. "I hope you don't get too uncomfortable." And then he did something I never imagined he would – he took off his sunglasses. "It seems fitting, doesn't it? I'm the one that gave you life, and now I'm the one that's taking it away."

And then he turned off the light, and walked out of the shed. I heard him lock it behind him, and then heard as his footsteps got further away. I saw the glow of red and orange as he set the little shack next to the shed on fire, saw it light up the room as gasoline egged it on to eat up the shack before it would come to me.

But I couldn't get past his eyes. The eyes that were mine. My eyes, that I'd gotten from him.

I felt my lips try to curve through the tape, because with a relieved breath, I realized that Persona and I would never be the same.

* * *

><p>AN: I, apparently, cannot write a story on here without throwing in a kidnapping scene :P

So, how'd I do on the Natsume POVs? Let me know, and tell me what you thought about the chapter!

xo.


	24. By Now You Know

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>I finally know just what it means to let someone in<em>  
><em>To see the side of me that no one does or ever will<em>  
><em>So if you're ever lost and find yourself all alone<em>  
><em>I'd search forever just to bring you home,<em>  
><em>Here and now this I vow<em>

_By now you'd know that I'd come for you_

_-**I'd Come For You, **Nickelback_

* * *

><p>When you've got nothing else to do but accept death, things start to feel a little bleak. It felt pretty bleak to me, anyway, sitting on the ground of that stupid shed with the heat of the fire increasing as it engulfed the small shack and made its way across the grass to where I was trapped. The smell of gasoline was making my head pound, and every inch of my body was beginning to ache from the position I'd been taped into.<p>

I had time to think about my mom, the things I could have done and the things I should have done. Despite being here now, I couldn't seem to regret ever leaving. It had been better for the both of us; she'd needed a wake up call to grow up, and I needed to break off the chains and grow up, too. We'd both done the growing up we'd needed to, and I couldn't regret that.

I had time to think about Natsume, too, and how he'd be free after this. It was a shame that we couldn't give _us _a try, but as long as he was out of Persona's life, then that was all I could ask for.

Ruka and Hotaru would be mad at me. Ruka would beat himself up for this. Hotaru would, too, because she'd think that she should have been able to predict it. I didn't blame her in the least; as smart as she was, even she couldn't trick me into thinking she could tell the future. Ruka would realize someday that Persona had tricked a lot of people, and he would get over it, because I'd never blame him for this, either.

I wished I could tell him that.

That's what made me realize that I was giving up too soon, and that I _could _tell him if I figured out how to get myself out of this sticky mess.

I looked down at my arms, secured to my sides by layers and layers of duct tape. But if I could get on my feet, I'd be able to grab the shears that were among the gardening tools on the shelf with the mobility I still had in my wrists, the shears I'd been worried Persona had been reaching for when he'd grabbed the gardening shovel.

But then there was the issue of my legs. First of all, they were pretty tightly stuck together by the tape at my ankles and the tape around my thighs and shins. If I'd been in tip-top shape, I would have easily been able to kick out of the tape around my legs, but with pain still pulsating through the shin I was sure Persona had broken, my movement was pretty limited.

I weighed my options.

On one side of the scale, I could sit here and burn to a pile of ashes like a helpless child. On the other side of the scale, I could man up and do what I'd been doing since I was ten – fending for myself.

I tested trying to stretch my legs out, but the pressure the tape exerted on my injured shin was nearly unbearable and I couldn't help the muffled cry that escaped my lips and the tape.

God forbid I ever use duct tape again in my life.

I wiggled my arms next, trying to free the tape from my skin enough that I could slip the ring on my upper arms over my head. That idea proved pointless when the tape stayed stubbornly stuck to me and didn't slip, stretch, or tear.

I eyed the shears, the handles of which were hanging partly off the shelf, just tormenting me, and then I looked around me. The shed was small enough that the lawn mower I was up against touched the shelf adjacent to the one that the shears sat on. The least I could do was try and hope for movie-moment luck.

I slammed my back against the lawn mower, tears springing to my eyes once more when pain shot up my leg. The lawn mower rattled against shelf, jiggling the paint set that Persona had gone through the trouble of setting up. The shears, unsurprisingly, didn't budge.

Panic began to set in at that moment, because the flames were getting closer, I was getting hotter, and it was getting harder to breathe. The uncomfortable feel of sweat beginning to drip down my neck-

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

_Sweat._

Perspiration was quickly forming on every inch of my body, especially in those places that were covered – by clothing, or by tape.

I wriggled my wrists, urging the sweat to form faster. Because I could feel the stickiness giving way.

I moved my arms against my sides, finding that the tape there was closer to coming off my skin. By now smoke was seeping in through the cracks between the wood of the walls and under the locked door.

Whimpers of fear and exertion forced their way through the tape over my mouth. My movements became driven by panic and were rushed and careless. I hit my elbows on everything, jostled my leg so much in my desperation that tears were now streaming down my cheeks.

It felt like the four walls were getting closer and closer. I could hear the crackling of the wood as the wall behind me caught fire. I had no idea how much gasoline Persona had poured around here, but since the place hadn't blown up yet, I figured I had time. Until the fire got inside and ignited the gas tank on the lawn mower. Then I'd be screwed.

My breaths came in too quick, out too suddenly, mostly through my nose because the air I could get past the tape on my mouth was insignificant. My head began to spin, but I couldn't force myself to take a full, steady breath because it was getting harder to get _any _air in at all.

My twisting and thrashing became frantic and was done while I half-sobbed, begging this to work because I wasn't ready to die yet.

Someone answered my prayers, because just a second later, the tape slid off the skin on my upper arms and lay loosely around me. Next, I worked on the tape on my lower arms, grunting and struggling until, after what seemed like forever, it too came free and I was able to shimmy both rings up and over my head. My hands still taped together at the wrist, I reached up and ripped the tape off my mouth, gulping in precious oxygen that was dwindling quickly as the fire ate it up.

The relief didn't last long, because when I tried to roll onto my side, I was shocked by another wave of pain ripping through my leg.

Cursing Persona, I pinched my eyes shut, willing everything to stop hurting and willing myself to stop panicking.

Successfully.

I took two deep breaths of smoke-filled air (which I was plenty aware I was _not _supposed to do) and rolled onto my side, gritting my teeth against the new wave of pain that was so powerful it brought on an onslaught of nausea.

The rolling motion brought me closer the shelf that she shears were on, but with my new mobility I made the mistake of looking back at the wall that had caught fire, and saw just how dire this situation was.

A wall of flames rose before me, snaking its way to the roof where, surely, it would collapse on top of me if I didn't get my ass moving. Clenching my jaw, I pushed myself up on my elbow, and then onto my butt so I was sitting up, and reached both hands up, fingers reaching for the handles hanging over the edge, so high up, so out of reach. Through my tears, my fingers seemed to be getting further and further away.

The ceiling crackled. With a gasp, I was forced to collapse back to the ground and cover my head as one of the banisters from the roof crashed down. Sparks landed on my skin, smoke rushed down my throat. I began coughing so hard that I began to wretch. My tears dried before they even fell, but I pushed myself back up and reached up once more.

The tips of my fingers brushed the very edge of the handles of the shears.

I reached, forcing my arm to extend, _wanting _my shoulders to pop out of place for the sole purpose of reaching those shears.

And finally, success. With one last grunt of effort, my fingers knocked into the shears and they tumbled off the shelf, landing inches away from my legs. I wouldn't have cared if they had landed on me, sharp as they were, with how desperate I was.

Hands trembling, head spinning from lack of oxygen and fear all mixed together, I managed to free my hands and was just in the midst of trying to free my ankles and legs when I heard someone calling my name.

It sounded so far away, whether because it was or because the fire was so loud and I was so distant, I couldn't be sure. All I knew is that someone was out there, but I had no strength to speak because my throat was raw and dry and I couldn't stop coughing.

"Check the shed!"

_Ruka._

The shears slipped, cutting my leg, but compared to everything else, the pain was insignificant.

Another chunk of the roof fell. My hazy eyes focused on the piece of wood that had fallen alarmingly close to the lawn mower, and was beginning to crawl closer and closer.

Wary, my hands frozen, I could do nothing but watch it and anticipate the explosion that would end my life.

I snapped out of it when I heard something bang against the locked door, jiggle the lock, bang the door again. I wondered if Ruka could hear my coughing and gasping, and decided that I needed to help him out as much as I could.

My mouth and nose pressed to the inside of one elbow, I used my free hand to cut away the remaining tape. I was just peeling it off my injured leg when the door burst open and a tall dark figure filled the doorway. Half a second later, two strong arms were lifting me off the ground and the cool night air engulfed me.

I gasped for clean air, which only made me cough harder. I tried to cry, tried to tell whoever was carrying me that their quick steps were jostling my leg and that it hurt like hell, but my mouth wouldn't form words.

"Her leg," I heard someone say, so far away. _Hotaru._

"I know, dammit." _Natsume. _"The place is going to blow."

And it did, because the sound was the clearest thing I could hear. An explosion so loud that the ground rumbled. Natsume pressed my face into his chest, and the next thing I knew my sweat-covered, burning skin was being placed gently on cool, damp grass and I got in my first breath that wasn't interrupted by a coughing fit.

"Fuck," I heard Natsume say.

"She's okay, Natsume," Ruka breathed.

"Barely," Hotaru said.

A hand cupped my cheek, the one Persona had hit, and a finger traced the mark the blow must have made. Then the hand left my cheek, was joined by another as they ran down every inch of my body, stopping at my leg when I managed to whimper.

"Fuck," Natsume said again. "I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Killing won't be necessary," Hotaru said logically. "When we have blackmail."

I tried to open my eyes, but every time I tried they burned so exponentially that tears upon tears kept forming, leaking from between my closed eyelids. Panicked, my hands flailed, reaching to rub my eyes.

A soft hand caught my wrist. "It's all right, Mikan," Ruka said softly. "Your eyes are just irritated." Then, to either Hotaru or Natsume, "She needs to go to the hospital."

As if on cue, the distant sound of a siren could be heard over the powerful crackling of the angry fire.

"Stay with her," Natsume said curtly. "I'm going after him."

"You'll do no such thing," Hotaru said. "We need to work out a plan. Irrational thinking isn't going to get you anywhere, Hyuuga, except either dead or cornered."

I unclenched my jaw, rolling onto my side, into Ruka's hands, grasping them for comfort, trying to get my leaden tongue to move. At first, the only sound I could make was a rasp that burned my throat, but after another moment I managed to croak, "He doesn't know."

"Doesn't know what?" Ruka asked softly.

"Doesn't know…" I breathed in slowly, out slowly, swallowed dryly. "Doesn't know that Hotaru was with me. Doesn't know that she knows."

"Excellent," Hotaru said. "Then I can take him by surprise. Hyuuga, don't go after him."

"He tried to _kill _her-"

"And yet here she is, blabbing like always. Get your head together, Hyuuga. And don't let him find out she's alive until we can confront him with that we know. Do I make myself clear?"

I recognized the ringing of Natsume's cell phone, heard him curse, felt Hotaru's warning glare, even though it wasn't directed at me, and took comfort in the sound of his voice.

"What the hell did you do?" he said into the phone, and the paused as Persona replied. "If you think I'm going to do what you want-" I don't think Persona cut him off; I'm pretty sure he just got so frustrated and angry that he couldn't finish his sentence, because when he spoke again, his tone was dangerously low. "You'll pay for it." Another pause. "If you _touch _Youichi, I'll shove your head so far up your ass that you'll be trying to get it out for days, and once you do, I'll make you watch while I cut off your-"

"Natsume," I whispered. "Don't egg him on. He'll hurt Youichi."

There was a long pause. "I'll be at the house by morning." He hung up the phone, and then I heard him hiss, _"I did what I had to? _The sick bastard deserves to have his balls cut off."

The sirens were getting closer, willing me to try to open my eyes once more and look around dazedly at the starry sky, at Ruka's smile and Hotaru's ghostly white face looking down at me. Natsume was behind her, one hand lost in his hair, his back to me.

I blinked several times.

"Hyuuga," Hotaru said, standing up. "She needs you."

He turned around, looking down at me with crimson eyes that burned with a combination of relief, fury, and a murderous look that sent chills down my spine. For a long moment, he seemed to fight with himself, and then, as Ruka got to his feet, Natsume dropped to his knees beside me and pulled me up when I reached for him.

I sniffled into his neck, breathing in the scent of him, revelling in the feel of his arms around me, holding me on his lap without moving my leg much. I felt his hand comb through my hair, tangled from ash and debris and sweat.

"How'd you find me?"

"Imai installed a tracking device on Persona's car awhile back," he answered. "Didn't think it would come n handy until he drove off with you."

I mentally thanked Hotaru for being so smart. "I was supposed to be _your _knight in shining armour," I informed him quietly. "Didn't really turn out the way I'd planned."

"I don't need an idiot to come to my rescue. I don't need anybody to come to my rescue. I don't need rescuing. You, like the idiot you are, can't seem to stay out of trouble. Therefore, you're the only one that ever seems to need rescuing."

"Yes you do," I argued. "And Hotaru and I did it. Just not the way we planned. And I did not need rescuing." With every word, talking got easier, less painful. "I was just about to get up when you came bursting in."

He sighed into my hair, apparently not seeing the point in arguing with me.

I recognized the feel of grass on bare skin, and a thought struck me. "Where's my shoe?"

His chuckle was barely heard. "In my car."

The sirens were suddenly _there_, blaring in my ears. Natsume lifted me off the ground again, even though I protested and cried out when my legs swung. He mumbled an apology, and kept my face pressed to his shoulder so I couldn't see what was going on. I could hear the firefighters, the water rushing out of the hoses and onto the flames that I had very nearly been engulfed in.

And then the paramedics arrived, and Natsume was forced to hand me over. An oxygen mask was placed over my mouth and nose, and a female paramedic in all-white kept asking me questions that my hazy, smoke filled mind couldn't keep up with. All I could think about was how I wanted Natsume.

The lights in the ambulance were too bright. I closed my eyes against them and groaned. The straps that they used to secure me to the stretcher reminded me too much of the tape, but just as I began to struggle and protest, Natsume's dark figure appeared over top of me. He wasn't looking at me, but was talking to the paramedic as his hand found mine on top of the snow-white sheets.

He flopped down into the seat beside the bed, and I started to relax. It was then that I'd remembered Persona's threat.

Tears welled in my eyes once more and I turned to look at Natsume once more, struggling to get the mask off my mouth. The paramedic tried to get me to relax, but Natsume was studying me and eventually helped me clear the mask to hear what I had to say.

"He threatened Ruka," I gasped, a new wave of panic washing over me. "He said he'd make Ruka tell him who was with me. Natsume he-"

"He's not going to touch Ruka," he said gently, putting the mask back over my mouth. "Not when he's with Imai. Not when she's the one with the information." He picked up my hand again. "Stop freaking out."

I wanted to tell him that I'd show him 'freaking out', but a sense of calm was spreading over me at his reassurance and I suddenly realized how late it must be, and how tired I was. Succumbing to the dark clutches of sleep, I gripped Natsume's hand tightly as the darkness dragged me deeper and deeper.

Just before I went under, I could have sworn that I felt his lips against my knuckles, and that I heard him say, barely murmur, "Thank you."

* * *

><p>AN: Ah, I sense the end is near :( Let me know what you think of the chapter! You'll find out what happens with Persona in the next, and final, chapter of this story! I'm already halfway through writing it, so I should have it up pretty soon, but that depends on how nice it is over the next few days and how much time I spend in the sun reading Harry Potter! :)

I just want to thank you all again for the support you've shown me over the course of this story! It's so motivating and all of your reviews and private messages just make me smile stupidly, and I can't begin to explain how much I enjoy that :) So thank you!

_I'd Come For You _is kind of my favourite song at the moment. It's one of those songs that doesn't get old no matter how many times you hear it! It's the same with _Someday _by Nickelback for me. Loooove them!

Thanks again guys!

xo.


	25. Before You Hit the Ground

No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p><em>'Cause she's coming down fast<br>And someone's gotta break her fall,  
>And a voice in the back of my head calls,<em>

_I know angels don't fall that often,  
>Baby, I'll catch you<br>Catch you  
>Catch you<br>Before you hit the ground_

_-**Angels, **Jason Damato_

* * *

><p>I was forced to recover for three days in the hospital, practically chained to the bed by doctors and nurses that didn't appreciate the fuss I put up over having to stay, and so kept a close eye on me as if expecting me to try and make a break for it. I was treated for minor burns, smoke inhalation, a broken leg, and a few cuts and bruises.<p>

My throat was still sore, but that didn't stop me from talking every time a nurse or doctor came in, demanding they release me because I wasn't going to get any better than I was just then.

Natsume and Ruka couldn't visit me. Natsume couldn't because he was practically stuck to Persona, pretending to hate him for killing me, when in actuality he was only pissed at him for _trying _to kill me. Ruka was hiding, because although Persona said nothing of it to Natsume, _I _knew that he would try and squeeze the truth out of Ruka if he got the chance.

Hotaru came and visited me on several occasions, but only to go over with me how we were going to present the information to Persona. She was impatient as I was, but for her own reasons; she was convinced that if we didn't do it soon, Natsume was going to wring Persona's neck and end up in jail and all of our hard work would amount to nothing.

She was also pissed because of how I'd ended up in the hospital in the first place. The whole reason we'd gone to the finish line of the race was to blackmail Persona, but with the little twist that had gotten me in a bit of a predicament, we hadn't had a chance to do it.

"You got kidnapped for nothing," she muttered unhappily.

I was still trying to maintain a positive attitude, despite my scratchy voice and the way my throat stung when I talked. "Hey, at least you had a tracking device in his car." I frowned. "I'm actually surprised, knowing you, that you didn't have one on _me._"

"I did," she said haughtily, folding her arms over her chest and turning her nose up in the air. "But it was in the shoe you kicked off."

Persona remained in the dark about Hotaru being my accomplice, which she enjoyed because she was quite excited to see the look on his face when we showed up at his house. Well, as excited as someone of Hotaru's nature could be.

Hotaru's last visit to me had been the day before I got out. She'd been muttering about preparations before the confrontation with Persona as she left, leaving me alone once more. But since then, Koko and Yuu and Anna and Nonoko and Daichi (who had gotten a little bit teary-eyed when he saw me) and even Sumire had come in to visit me.

I apologized profusely to Koko and Sumire for ruining their date. Koko said something along the lines of, "I'd have been less angry if you hadn't almost killed yourself as a result," and Sumire had stubbornly declared, "It was _not _a date!"

Koko was with me now, there to take me home after I was discharged from the hospital.

"You're looking pretty rough," he informed me as he walked and I hobbled on crutches down the hospital hallway. "You're not coming back to work, not even to work the cash desk, until that ugly yellow bruise is gone from your face."

I touched my cheek, where the healing cut and bruise reminded me of the blow from Persona's shovel. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."

He grinned, fondly throwing his arm over my shoulders and pulling me against him. Then he kissed the top of my head. "Don't tell Natsume I did that. He'll torture then kill me."

"Oh, quit it. You're making me blush."

"How's he doing, anyway?" he asked, helping me onto the elevator. "Natsume, I mean. Persona must be having a hard time with him, and Natsume must be having a hard time not killing him."

"Persona has Youichi hanging over Natsume's head," I sighed. "He's not going to do anything until Hotaru and I confront him." I turned to Koko excitedly. "Hotaru thinks _she's _excited to see the look on his face when he figures out she was the one that was with me? Well _I'm _excited to see the look of pure shock when he sees me, _not _dead, and realizes just how futile his attempts are, and just how much he's lost by being an asshole."

"He taped you up, threw you in a shed, and set it on fire and the most you can do is call him an asshole?" He chuckled. "_That's _impressive."

I hadn't told Koko yet. In fact, I'd forbidden Ruka and Hotaru from breathing a word of my relation to Persona to anybody, until I was ready to do it myself. And until I asked Natsume why he hadn't told me. So I had to think before I spoke, more now than any other time.

"So when are you doing it?" he asked me as the elevator surged downwards.

"Tonight, hopefully. We're not going to tell Natsume when we're going to do it because he'll just freak out and say that I'd be stupid going to confront him when I'm in this state. But I have the cast for three months, and I'm _not _holding out that long."

He snorted. "Natsume can't hold out that long. He'll go mad and kill him, I swear he will."

I cringed at the thought of Natsume killing anybody. "He won't," I said confidently.

I missed Natsume. A lot. Three days of not seeing him when I knew he was with Persona was a different sort of torture. Because Persona had proven to me how dangerous he could be, and had said himself that he would do what he did to me, to Ruka for information. Meaning even those who were seemingly loyal to him – against their will or not – were not safe.

Don't get me wrong, I was a little more than rattled that the end of the night of the fire had ended with Natsume of all people coming to my rescue. I would have preferred Ruka being the one to carry me out, just because it was too cliché to have Natsume be my rescuer.

But I couldn't complain. Because I was alive, and soon he and Ruka were going to be out of Persona's clutches.

And I dreamt about the feel of his arms around me, the fury in his voice as he'd spoken to Persona, the way he'd inspected every inch of my body for injuries, and how he'd kissed my hand in the ambulance and quietly thanked me for the trouble we'd gone through for him.

So yes, I missed him.

"What do you say I take you to the café and we can grab some breakfast?" Koko said, tearing me from my thoughts. "On the house, of course."

My stomach grumbled at the thought of breakfast at Yome's. "Yes, _please_. I'm so sick of hospital food."

It turns out the real reason Koko took me to Yome's was because he had a bit of a surprise party waiting there for me. Sumire was working, and Anna, Nonoko, Yuu, and Daichi were sitting at the counter. Sumire saw us come in first, squealed excitedly, and came running around the counter to leap on me.

"Oh, _finally_. I've been dying, picking up all these extra shifts for you. I'm so glad you're back. My social life has-"

"Sumire," Koko said firmly. "She's off for another week, and even then she'll only being doing cash." He nudged my broken leg with his foot. "Not easy to wait tables with this, I imagine."

Anna and Nonoko gushed over me a little bit, demanded I tell them everything that happened, and even got a little bit flustered. But it was Daichi that nearly broke down sobbing as he lumbered over to me and picked me up off the ground in the warmest, most welcoming bear hug I'd ever experienced.

"Oh, Mik, I was so worried."

I patted his back, smiling into his shoulder. "I know. You said that in the hospital."

"No, no, I was worried about you getting over here. Koko drives like a madman."

I laughed, because I knew that wasn't what he'd been worried about and because I'd been in vehicles with Ruka, Hotaru, Natsume, and Hayate's friend that had taken me to the party where Natsume had first kissed me. Not to mention I'd been in the trunk of Persona's car.

"Koko's driving was actually pretty mild," I said once he'd set me down. "Don't start sniffling, Daichi. You're going to make _me _cry."

He sniffled once more, shook his head, and managed a smile that I could barely see because of his bushy beard. But I could see his cheeks get rosy.

He was like a really big teddy bear. I had to resist hugging him again.

Everyone wanted to talk about what happened, but Daichi was the first one to see how much distress it was causing me just thinking about it, and nobly changed the conversation to me and Natsume. I'd a hundred times rather talk about that – no matter how embarrassed and flustered I got – then continue to talk about what had happened with Persona.

"You know, for the longest time I thought he was gay and trying to cover it up," Anna said thoughtfully.

"Natsume Hyuuga is _not _gay," Sumire said defensively.

"And I thought that was just wishful thinking on your part," Anna said with a giggle. "But I guess he just had commitment problems until you came along, Mik. I mean, he probably slept with half the school, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake, but-"

Koko cleared his throat. "Anna, I think Mikan's got the image."

I shrugged. "I'm pretty confident he's not gay."

Sumire sniffled. "He never slept with _me_."

Nonoko laughed. "That's because he cared too much about you to want to break your heart. You guys were sort-of friends, anyway."

I smiled at the way Sumire perked up, and at the way Koko rolled his eyes, then finished my plate of food and patted my stomach. "I should really be getting back to my apartment," I said. "I'm going to rest up in a bed that's bigger than me and that doesn't smell like someone barfed on it."

Koko offered to drive me home, even though I insisted I could walk, and with a promise to see everyone again soon, we left the store, Daichi saying, in his booming voice, to make sure Koko didn't drive like a nutcase and to make sure I got up to my room safely.

Not having an elevator in the apartment started to suck a little bit at that moment. I stood at the bottom of the stairs, glaring unhappily at them like it was their fault my room was all the way on the third floor, Koko behind me.

"I'll carry you," Koko offered.

I turned my glare on him, who blinked innocently back at me. "You'll do no such thing. I'm not going to always have someone to carry me up here. It's just going to be a bit physically demanding."

_Physically demanding _was a huge understatement. I had to take a break at the top of every flight of stairs, panting and massaging my underarms where the crutches rested. Eventually I just gave up on the crutches, handed them to Koko, and crawled the rest of the way up, which had Koko laughing behind me.

"Thanks for picking me up, Koko," I panted sincerely when we reached my room. "It would have been a pain in the ass to take the bus."

He wrapped me in a one-armed hug. "Take it easy, Mik. And let me know how it goes tonight. And be _careful_."

"I'll be more than careful," I vowed, and waved at him until he disappeared down the stairs.

My room was stuffy and warm, so the first thing I did was open every window and turn the fan on. Then I stripped out of the pair of pyjamas Hotaru had brought to the hospital to let me wear, into my own pyjamas, and fell into bed.

The familiarity of it all had me asleep before my head hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>I was distantly aware of my phone ringing through my sleep, which jolted me awake so fast my head spun. I raked my hands through the sheets on my bed, trying to find the source of the ringing. With a muttered oath, I tossed the sheets up, saw my phone go flying, and rolled off the bed to catch it before it hit the floor.<p>

"Hello?" I said into it.

"You've spent three days sleeping, so you go home and sleep all day?" Hotaru said blandly. "I'll pick you up in half an hour. Apparently Persona keeps making pokes at Hyuuga by saying something about how tragic it is that you're not around, and every time Hyuuga starts to get pissed, Persona brings up Youichi."

I groaned and got up. "Natsume's going to kill him if he keeps it up."

"Exactly. Besides, I'm tired of waiting. I want to see the look on his face."

"Me, too."

But there was no denying I was nervous. Nervous because he was my father. Nervous because our last confrontation hadn't gone well. Nervous because this could all turn out horribly if we made one mistake.

I had to keep reminding myself that Hotaru was pretty much incapable of mistakes and that everything would go well.

It hadn't felt like I'd slept the whole day; I still felt tired and sluggish but I was sure that that was just because worry was draining any energy I'd managed to acquire.

Hotaru called me again when she arrived, which didn't surprise me because she was far too lazy to get out of her car and ring up my room. I cursed having to go down the stairs, which took about three times longer because if I wasn't careful I would fall head first.

I was surprised to see Ruka's ordinary sports car sitting in the parking lot, Ruka in the driver's seat and Hotaru in the passenger seat. Both looked solemn, but Ruka smiled at me when I struggled to climb into the backseat.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Wonderful," I said, mostly honestly. My leg wasn't bothering me; it was my stomach that was in knots. "What about you? How have you been holding up?"

He sighed. "I've been _bored_. Persona called me yesterday to ask me to do a race for him, and you can imagine how hard it was to come up with an excuse."

"What did you say?"

"That I had chicken pox and was very contagious. Then I talked to Natsume. There was no race yesterday. Persona just wanted to see me."

"Thank God for chicken pox," I said with a light laugh.

"Enough talking," Hotaru said. "We need to go."

I didn't know where we were going, and I didn't really pay much attention on the drive over. My heart was pounding uncomfortably hard in my chest, and the more I thought about seeing Persona again, the less excited I got to see the look on his face. He'd be furious. And I'd experienced what could happen when he was furious.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"We're going to the production house," Hotaru explained. "They're having a meeting there now. I have the video on my phone, so we can show Persona that we have valuable information. Otherwise, I'm doing all the talking. You two are going to keep your mouths shut."

I wondered how hard that would be.

Ruka parked across the street, where we'd parked days ago. Hotaru looked impatient, but Ruka came around to my side to help me get out of the car. I thanked him, looked warily at the house, and then down at my feet.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mikan?" Ruka asked, frowning.

I nodded. "I have to." I started forward on my crutches. Hotaru and Ruka quickly matched my stride. Hotaru reached the door first and rang the bell.

I wondered if she was nervous. She didn't really strike me as one to get nervous, but she knew full well what Persona could do, and I was sure that that knowledge even worried her a little bit.

Kudos to her for being able to keep it off her face, though.

I tried to mimic her expression, but I wasn't sure I pulled it off quite right.

The door swung open and Reo stood there. At first he looked surprised, and then he saw me – who shouldn't be alive, according to Persona, he was probably thinking – and Hotaru's smirk and the color drained from his face.

"We have important matters to discuss with Persona," Hotaru said.

"He's in a meeting," Reo said pathetically, and then saw Ruka. "Ruka, you know they can't be here."

"Sorry, Reo," Ruka said, although he didn't sound sorry at all. "This is important."

A look of fury mixed with disgust twisted his features, and the scorn on his face was scary as he turned and walked back into the house, leaving the door open behind him. Hotaru walked in first, I took a deep breath and followed, and Ruka closed the door behind us.

The meeting was taking place in the kitchen. My heart was beating fast and hard as we stopped in sight of the people around the table. Hands clenched, I studied the faces.

Most of them were ones I'd never seen before, but then there was Natsume, looking calm as his eyes met mine, and Persona, who had his back to us.

I tried to control the surge or anger.

"Persona," Reo said. "They claim it's important."

He must have known that he was in trouble, since this was all going to be his fault. That would explain the sheen of sweat on his face.

Persona turned in his seat. He was wearing his sunglasses – thank God, because I didn't want to see my eyes on him ever again – so it was hard to see his expression. But his mouth hardened when he saw me and when he turned to Natsume, Natsume was smirking.

"Well, this is an interesting twist we have here," he said, standing up. "Hotaru Imai, you must be the unknown accomplice of Mikan here."

Hotaru snorted. "You're a little thick, Persona, for taking this long to realize it." She held up her phone, with the paused video of the meth lab on the screen. "I think you know what we're here for."

He turned back to Natsume. "Natsume, I'm rather disappointed in you for not telling me that Mikan got out of that fire okay."

"Just so you could try to kill me again?" I growled.

He spread his hands out calmly. "It's your own fault, my dear. If you hadn't been so nosy…" He sighed tragically. "I'm afraid I'll have to kill you all, now. And Natsume, I'm afraid you'll have to watch." With a wave of his hand, he motioned for the men around the table to stand.

Natsume got up from his chair, too, but he was scowling at Persona. "You lay a hand on-"

"Hyuuga," Hotaru interrupted coolly. "Do you really think I wouldn't have prepared for this threat? I should hope not." She turned her icy gaze on Persona. "I have copies of this tape in envelopes addressed to your top buyers, sitting in my mailbox right now, ready to be picked up. The mailman will be arriving at nine o'clock tonight. It is eight o'clock right now." She strolled forward, ignoring Ruka's sharp intake of breath, and circled once around Persona. "If I'm not home by nine o'clock, Persona, then those tapes will get out."

I saw Persona's jaw clench.

"And sending someone to my mailbox to try and break into it and get the tapes will be useless. Why? Because then it gets worse. I've sent another tape to a friend of mine. This friend, he's a cop. If my mailman finds my box empty without notice from me, he will call this friend of mine, and give him the okay to open the package." Her smile was sly. "And then you'll go to jail."

"Hm. Beaten at your own game," I said. "How does it feel, Persona?"

He ignored me. "I highly doubt your mailman will stand a chance against my men."

Hotaru held up her finger. "My cop friend has been given permission to open the package under two conditions. One, if my mailman calls him if he finds the mailbox empty without prior warning from me. Two, if he doesn't hear from me by nine o'clock. So you best not be killing anybody, Persona."

Persona's composure cracked. Plain fury was evident on his face, which made me nervous and made Natsume step around everyone else, who looked shocked and mad, to stand by me.

"So this is my proposition," Hotaru went on calmly. "I will remove those tapes from my mailbox, and I will tell my cop friend that he does not have permission to open the package, if you do exactly as I say."

She got no objection from Persona.

"Hyuuga and Nogi are no longer obligated to work for you," she said. "You will not contact either of them ever again. Ruka is turning his car shop into a business, not a storage house for your cars, so you're going to need to find another place for them. Yuu Tobita is to be left alone, and so are Koko and Youichi. None of them are to be threatened, because if they are, you'll be ruined. That goes for anyone we are close to, and that also means that nobody you work with can do any threatening, either." She turned her gaze to me.

I forced myself to look at Persona. "I won't go to the police about what you did, as long as you stay away from my mother. Don't _ever _contact her again. I don't need you feeding her lies and getting her hopes up about thinking you've changed."

Hotaru's smile turned deadly. "You are to leave town. Find somewhere else to set up shop. I don't care how much it costs you, or how much trouble it is, you are _not _staying here. Move somewhere closer to your buyers, for all I care. Just get out of here." She tucked her phone back into her pocket. "Violate any of these conditions, and I'll make damn sure that you regret it."

Persona's voice, when he spoke, was cooler than hers. "Anything else, Imai?"

"No, that will be it." She turned around, calling over her shoulder, "Be wise, Persona."

Natsume turned me around, but no sooner had I taken two crutch-aided steps back towards the door, I heard Persona say in a voice full of power, "Hope your leg feels better, Mikan."

Natsume cursed, turned around, and before I could stop him, punched Persona squarely in the jaw with so much force that Persona went reeling backwards and crashed onto the floor.

I reached for his arm, attaching myself to him and pulling him backwards because Persona's men looked partly shocked, partly furious. Struggling to hold onto my crutches under my arms, I tried to take a step back.

"Natsume, let's just go," I whispered. "Please."

He looked like he was going to ignore me for a minute, shake me off and pounce right back on Persona and beat him to a bloody pulp, but the look eventually passed and he half-carried, half dragged me towards the door.

We'd barely gotten out of the way when I heard, followed by someone's curse and the sound of a hand on a body, and then a yelp. I turned around, saw the little three-legged dog scamper away from one man's hand, and then come running across the hardwood floor towards me.

Delight overpowered any other emotion, and I dropped my crutches in order to catch the dog and pull him up into my arms. "I'm taking your dog," I announced. "I think he likes me better anyway."

Natsume rolled his eyes, picked up my crutches in one hand, and then grabbed my elbow with the other and helped me hop out of the house. The minute I stepped onto the cement step out in the cool evening air, I felt as though a huge weight dropped right off of my shoulders.

"Seriously?" Hotaru said, eyeing the dog.

I held the dog up in front of my face, grinning. "Oh, you're so cute."

She rolled her eyes and walked down the steps. "You can ride with Hyuuga. I'm not sitting in the same vehicle as that thing."

"All right." Still cooing over the dog, I hopped on one foot down the sidewalk to Natsume's car. For a moment, I stood staring at the window, and then down at my cast, and then back at Natsume.

"You can manage," he decided, throwing my crutches through the back window and going around to the driver's side.

"You have to hold him," I said, leaning in through the window and handing him the dog. He did not look entirely pleased, but I ignored the look and struggled in through the window, then buckled up the harness before taking the dog back. "What should I name you?"

"Tripod," Natsume said dryly.

I gasped. "Don't be mean!" I kissed the dog's nose. "You're not a tripod, are you? I'll call you…Jabberwocky! I had a stuffed animal named Jabberwocky once. You kind of look like him."

It didn't take long to get back to my apartment, but once we did I realized that Natsume and I still had a lot of talking to do.

He came around to my side of the car, took Jabberwocky when I handed him to him, and then grabbed my arm and helped me out of the car. I took Jabberwocky back, and then turned to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly.

He reached out to brush his hand along my bruised cheek before he tucked his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. "He didn't want you to know."

"I know that, but don't you think that I had a _right _to know? He-"

"He would have killed you for it," he interrupted. "Persona didn't want to have a daughter. That would make him come across as vulnerable. As long as you didn't know, then he didn't see the need to dispose of you."

I wanted to argue, but I knew Natsume would never have jeopardized my safety just because I wanted to know something. So I nodded, accepting this. "Then what do we do now?"

His strange red eyes that had captivated me from the moment I'd met him, captivated me now. "What do you want to do now?"

"I'll tell you what I don't want," I said. "I _don't _want you to leave. You and I, we have something. I don't know what it is, or how long it will last, but it's there and I think that while it is, we should give it a shot."

He nodded once.

Satisfied, I reached into the back window with one hand and brought my crutches out, handing them to him. "You're going to have to come up to my room with me. I can't carry all of this."

"There are other ways to get me into your room, Polka," he said with the ghost of a smirk.

I grinned at him over my shoulder. "This one seems to be working pretty good."

I had to put Jabberwocky down so I could crawl up the stairs, Natsume rolling his eyes behind us. I made a comment about both me and the dog only have three limbs, and how we struggled to the top of the stairs together. We both made it, both breathing heavily by the time we got there, and Natsume scoffed at both of us.

"Just leave the crutches by the door there," I told Natsume. "I'm going to get Jabberwocky something to drink. Do you want anything, Natsume? I have some frozen dinners if you're hungry. I don't really have anything to cook with, so you're on your own if those don't cut it for you, but-"

"Polka," he said, in a voice so smouldering that I turned to him in surprise. That was when I noticed that his knuckles were bleeding.

I hobbled over to him, picked up his hand. "Exemplary punch, by the way. Totally impressive. It's funny. I should be mad at you for punching my dad, but here I am wishing I'd punched him first." I tugged him over to the sink. "Come here. I'll clean this for you."

He pulled his hand away. "He deserves a lot more than what I gave him."

I sighed, propping my hands on my hips. "Natsume, I'm the one he tried to kill and I'm ready to let it go already. You need to let it go, too."

"Why?" he demanded.

"Because right now it's just you and me." I grabbed the front of his shirt and hopped one step closer, so that we stood toe to toe. "And I don't want Persona ruining that anymore."

His jaw flexed, and I thought he was going to argue, but he just dropped one hand to my waist, the other to my cheek, and kissed me until neither of us could breathe anymore.

"You're still thinking about him," I accused.

Frustration made itself evident. "It's hard not to when you're standing on my foot with that cast."

I looked down at our feet, saw he was right, and took my foot off of his, and then looked back at him. "You know, I really don't appreciate you thinking of another man while you're kissing me," I said light-heartedly, smiling. "It makes me think Anna and Nonoko were right when they said they thought you were-"

He kissed me again, harder and more passionately, one hand raking through my hair, the other forcing my broken leg around his waist. I pulled my other leg up and wound my arms around his neck, smiling when he broke away from me.

"That's better."

_**Fin.**_

* * *

><p>AN: So here it is, the end of _Before You Hit the Ground_. I'm actually very sad to end it :( I enjoyed writing this very much, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much! The song _Angels _was actually what sparked the idea for this song, and the title, and I couldn't wait to put it in here. Give it a listen! It's the sweetest song, ever :)

So in three months time, I have completed 25 chapters. I hope that makes up for any of you who read _All Star, _who I kept waiting for a year and a half. :(

Thank you all for every single review and personal message that made writing this story so much easier and so much more fun. Your support was amazing, and I really can't thank you enough.

Until next time!

xo.


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